The One Who Saw Hell
by the disturbed immortal
Summary: A near death experience under the hands of an angry mob changes Naruto's life forever. Now armed with a great power and having lost what made him who he was, the blond leaves Konoha to find purpose. However all isn't easy when you have a whole village and a criminal organisation bent on world domination looking for you. Will his journey bring him peace, happiness, or heartache?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did he would show the maturity you would find in someone who grew up alone and in some point of his life had lived on the streets.**

**Well I think I'm on a roll, second story already. Anyway please read and review, it's a most youthful thing to do, DON'T BE HIP AND COOL, BE YOUTHFUUUUL.**

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**PROLOGUE**

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**(Konohagakure no Sato)**

It was dark out in the village of Konohagakure, the night was beautiful and starry stained. Serene Breezes blew by the leaves of the many trees that defined the village of Konohagakure.

The serene quietness was ruined by the sound of loud and quick stumbling steps and many curses of 'Catch the Demon brat'.

He ran. He had to keep running…and he ran as fast as his little legs could take him as his mob pursuers kept on their relentless chase. His tattered clothing was stained with patches of blood and dirt and he had numerous Shuriken embedded in his back. He was panting harshly and running with stumbling steps, a clear sign of exertion. His small lithe frame was quivering with fear and exhaustion but he persevered on, hoping that by some miracle he would make it to his apartment.

If one would look they would wonder why an eight year old boy would be running at this time of night, however the boy running was no ordinary boy and what he was running from no ordinary danger. The mere sight of the boy's bright sunny-blond hair, blue cerulean eyes and whiskered face had those very few who were looking on in wonder and concern turn away in disdain or even joining in on the hunt. The boy was none other than the resident Konohagakure Jinchuriki to the greatest Bijuu ever known, the Kyubi no Yoko. A being of unparalleled malevolence and hatred; said to be able to cause great Tsunamis with a single swipe of its tails.

The same natural disaster that had run amok the village and nearly razed Konohagakure no Sato to the ground eight years ago, devoured countless Konoha defenders or the village's military force known as Shinobi and was responsible for the near destruction of the village if it hadn't been stopped by the village leader, The Yondaime Hokage. It had appeared and left a trail of unmatched and inhumane destruction in its wake, before being sealed resulting in the birth of a Jinchuriki. The concept of a Jinchuriki was simple enough if one looked at it rationally, it could even be simplified by comparing the sealing of the ninja weapon, the Kunai into a sealing scroll. Some compared the presence of a Bijuu inside a host body to the possession of human beings by demons or evil spirits.

The ordinary civilian, who didn't understand that the Bijuu were merely living entities of dense Chakra, the same energy Shinobi relied on for their abilities, mistook them for immortal Demonic entities and shunned and persecuted the hosts to these beasts. These Jinchuriki were heroes if one looked at them positively because if not for their sacrifice, the Bijuu would still be running wild and destroying villages. However not all Jinchuriki were chosen out of circumstance but some were created purely to increase the strength of their village and to be used as weapons during war. It was purely out of human greed and the desire for more power than anything else and many of these' special' individuals suffered extreme scrutiny and isolation from society because of that.

These Chakra monsters were hunted down for their power and captured by the villages before being sealed into unwilling Jinchuriki and the boy being pursued was one of them, but only created out of choice and a lack of options. So For eight, the vessel to the terrible beast that had nearly annihilated the entire village, had to suffer extreme animosity and isolation because the people of Konoha, being human, looked for someone to blame and the boy carrying the object of their pain, became the object of their hatred and disdain.

As he appeared to them, the boy was simply the beast he carried in normal civilian perspective and thus, the general consensus and wish was for him to be executed lest he becomes the beast and destroys the village. Those who were Shinobi understood the intricacy of Bijuu, Jinchuuriki and Fuuinjutsu to know the boy was merely a child who had the misfortunate of being made into the host of the beast which devoured and crushed several of their comrades, however being able to recognise what the boy was didn't mean they saw past their dislike and prejudice toward him. They simply ignored if they could, while a few bothered to treat him as a person.

The boy, having turned eight a few months ago had always taken all the negative aura thrown at him with stride. He was almost usually unfazed by the people's contempt toward him, however that was only for face. He had always been told that they would eventually come to see him as a person if he proved them wrong but when he did something to warrant attention, it merely aggravated the persecution toward him and it grew day by day where they would glare at him every turn he took.

Today was no different…

Naruto had been walking home from the Hokage monument where he had been since being chased out of class in the academy. He had been thinking greatly, pondering his life up to this point and how shallow and meaningless it had been. The blond had been experiencing thoughts tempting him to leave the village but he had been dismissing them day after day. After leaving the monument, the blond, who was wearing a white mesh red-spiralled shirt with black shorts and blue sandals, was suddenly ambushed with Shuriken and dangerous weapons before being chased after by a 'angry mob' of civilians who had hidden in the darkened alleyways that led to his apartment. It seemed that they had quietly waited for him and the blond had been surprised the people had decided to attack him because normally they only shunned him and ignored his very existence, however today was different and they had decided to show how deep their hatred for him ran, through their fists.

As he rounded a corner he was met with the sneering face of one of his pursuers and a hard punch to the face that sent him sprawling across the ground, he tried to get up however he was roughly kicked in the stomach and held by the throat as his attacker hoisted him up.

He coughed up and tried to speak "W-why a-are you doing this, w-w-wh-at did i…do..to..you?", the blond boy pleaded in a hoarse voice, however his efforts only earned him another hard punch to the face and a rough collision with the wall as he was harshly tossed by his attacker.

"Don't pretend you don't know what you did demon, today is the day we finally get rid of you and make you pay for all the people you killed," a man dressed in Shinobi clothing said as he sneered at the blond boy, the other men and women with him all nodding in unison in agreement to his statement with similarly evil smiles.

"Yes this is for my brother who you killed, it is time to die filthy demon, now feel our PAIN," another man who looked to be in his late twenties said as he gave the boy a hard punch to the face.

Two steely projectiles flew toward the blond, piercing through his stomach, causing globs of blood to fly out of the boy's mouth.

The crimson liquid spilled through his clothing and the blood formed a patch of red on his now tattered white-shirt. Naruto let out a strangled scream of pain as both Kunai drove under his ribcage and felt as one of them punctured his lung. He drew in sharp, painful, haggard breaths; his eyes squinted in pain and drooping slightly. Everything in his line of vision was blurry and flickered like projections.

He felt tired, exhausted and just wished for it to end.

The perpetrator stood there in all his mighty, a young man clad in Konoha Chunin attire, his beady brown eyes gleaming evilly and his hand still outstretched from his throw. The rest of the mob participants all smiled when they saw the 'demon' being unceremoniously tossed and beaten around like rag doll. Finally they would have their revenge, they would kill this monster before it shed its human skin and turn into the nightmare from all those eight years ago.

One of the men's eye gained a dangerous glint to it as he pulled out a knife and pointed it at the boy "I shall finish you myself, the village will praise me as a hero for this, I will send you to hell you monster" the man said as he approached the blond boy, savouring the moment at the sight of seeing the cornered 'demon scum' sprawled across the ground, helpless, cowering in fear as they had when 'it' attacked the village.

"But I didn't kill anybody, please s-stop" The boy said as he slowly tried to stand up, however this action only aggravated the attackers even more. In a blink of an eye he was roughly hoisted by his collar and kneed in the stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs as he struggled to breathe, he could feel his head swimming and could barely decipher the words the mob were chanting and muttering.

He could still hear some of the words such as "kill the demon"

"We are going to finish what Yondaime-sama started"

"It is time to die you stain"

"We won't let you corrupt our children"

_'Why?_'

The boy couldn't understand why these people hated, no loathed him with the fury that would put that of the vengeful deity of Amaterasu to shame. He hadn't killed anyone, heck he could barely hold a Kunai properly. All this hatred was in so many ways utterly inhumane and wrong yet no one had done anything about it, because they either didn't care or wanted him dead as much as these people did. All the blond could ask himself was, why?

He could feel warm tears trickling down his cheeks as he faced and waited for his inevitable death, so this was it, he was finally going to die. Like some street dog, these people who spat on him, on his existence, shunned him and who beat him up would finally take away his life. A small part of him thought that maybe it was for the best; no one would mourn him when he died? No one! He had no one, no parents, no friends, no family; he was just alone, miserable, pathetic and weak that he couldn't defend himself from these people.

Some would wonder why he didn't try to fight back. He was capable enough to after all with even the slightest of training from the academy he still could use Chakra and some of them couldn't, But the answer was very simple, he didn't have it in him. He was afraid, not of the people or of fighting itself, no he was afraid of giving these people more reason to call him a monster because he believed given time and when he got strong enough and became Hokage they would finally change, finally see him for who he truly is, but who was he really? The trouble-making child who always had a large smile plastered on his face every day? Who took everything the world had to offer and still smiled brightly, as if nothing could get to him, his spirit and drive were unbreakable! Or were they?

_'Why?'_ from a young age the question still plagued his mind like a pandemic disease that just won't be cured, he had tried asking the Hokage for answers but that was almost as fruitful as his search for a clothing store that will allow him to buy clothes.

For the longest time he had thought by trying to bring as much attention to himself as he could with his prank escapades and trouble child actions, these people would acknowledge him, see him for who he is, Naruto Uzumaki. But then, that begged the question, if he did all that to bring attention to himself, 'becoming a troublemaker and loud mouth to earn acknowledgement', then who was Naruto Uzumaki, the lonely child who existed before the troublemaker?

_'It would be better if I died, then I would be free of all of this pain and loneliness_' Naruto thought as he closed his eyes and prepared for the finishing blow that will end all the pain and misery he had suffered for seven years in this village.

It was a cowardly way to go but he was still just a child and he heard stories that in the afterlife you will meet your parents, family, '_Goodbye old man, Ayame nee, Teuchi- ojii_' a rough kick to his face had him reeling on the ground and coughing out blood, he watched through heavy-lidded eyes as one of his attackers inched closer to him, a dangerous weapon in their hand poised to strike and once and for all put an end to him.

'_**How naïve and foolish!'**_

He could almost hear a voice snort in the back of his head, to think all this time he had believed he could change the hearts of these people; it was clear to him now, how evil people were. They plastered smiles on their faces publicly, while deep down they harboured enough hatred to suffocate the very world itself, he was a victim of that hatred. That he knew, although why, he didn't.

All he wanted was for it to end; Naruto Uzumaki had finally had enough. The spark that he were had finally been snuffed out, diminished, forever lost in the never-ending abyss of hatred that surrounded him like a plague.

'_**You're weak!'**_ The voice growled out yet again, making the blond twist his head in wonder.

But he just lay there on the ground and waited.

He could feel as warm liquids trickled down his cheeks, mixing with the blood that covered his face. His…Tears?

Why was he crying? He had told himself he would never give these people the pleasure of seeing him break down and cry in front of them, for the harsh treatment they showed him. He did cry when he was alone in his degraded apartment, where no one would see him and how vulnerable he was, where he didn't have to wear his mask consistently. So why now, after so much effort on his part to make sure he wouldn't shed tears in front of these people?

The answer was simple; he didn't want to die, not in such a pathetic way. Not like a cornered wild animal that had caused trouble on a farm and had finally been caught. He was shedding tears not for myself but the eight year old innocent boy who never knew happiness and will die without experiencing it.

'_Somebody, please make it stop'_ He didn't want to die. He didn't want to die! _'I don't want to die here!'_

_'__Not like this…'_ The words continued to echo in the back of his mind and suddenly raw emotions began stirring up in his very being.

'_**Then let me take away your pain; let me make it stop' **_Naruto's tears stopped at that and he cocked his head in confusion and nodded his head, accepting the help of whoever it is that was whispering to him.

'_They have no right, they can't, they won't_….' He could feel as a warm feeling fluttered in his stomach, strengthening and fuelling his body like nothing he had ever felt before. It was chaotic and it burned as hot as lava, however it seemed so in tune with his body. He could feel his body guiding it from the core to every part of his body and he could feel all the raw emotions it brought with it, anger, Hatred, benevolence and finally blood-lust.

It was power and it was extraordinary, the young blond just wanted to bask in it for a while, to revel in the feel of this incredible power, he felt strong and the pain that he had felt, the wounds from all those attacks had all faded away and only the stench smell of blood hung on him and on his tattered clothing. It felt evil yet at the same time it seemed to console him with its chaotic warmth, however for a brief moment it stopped it chaotic flowing and a cold feeling overcame it, reigning it in and suppressing it yet at the same time while still holding it to place. Naruto's eyes burned viciously and he clutched them with his hands to ease the burning feeling in them.

'_**YOU FOOL!'**_

Naruto heard that strange voice let out a deep growl of rage which boomed inside his head as the hot feeling subsided. Suddenly he found himself in a darkened room, before an enormous cage with a paper sticking to it, the cage was rattling loudly as two large orange clawed-hands violently shook the bars of the cage in anger. Two massive red orbs were behind the gate and Naruto unconsciously sent a wave of Chakra into the cage, which quieted down the being behind the structure.

'_**NO! YOU CAN'T HAVE HIS EYES. WHAT PATHETIC BLASPHEMY IS THIS? COME HERE SO I CAN RIP OUT THOSE PATHETIC FAUX EYES OF YOURS'**_ the enormous furry-arm arm reached out fruitlessly, viciously attempting to grab at the smaller blond. The blond tuned out the loud bellowing screams and roars as he came back to unconsciousness.

He opened his eyes and the mob froze, his eyes were now deep reddish-purple with circular ripples and a slit for a pupil, they looked dead, cold, uncaring and his expression was an apathetic one of another kind. It was almost as if he had undergone a transformation of some kind, for there in his place no longer stood the naïve and hyperactive boy who caused trouble on a daily basis, but rather a boy who knew loneliness, who had seen pain and who radiated enough hatred that it suffocated the people who stood before him.

Naruto couldn't understand what was happening to him but he knew that these people were all frightened of him; he could see some of them shivering with fear and wondered what could have happened to cause him to scare them so much. He could feel that he felt stronger, tons of times stronger than he did before. His senses could pick out anything; his smell, sight, hearing and his other sense were all augmented by this new feeling. Could this be why the people called him a demon?

He could feel the burning sensation bubbling inside of him, trying to feed on his negative emotion, trying to erupt like a glob of unrestrained lava from him. However strangely enough he reigned it in effortlessly, it kept trying to fight him for control but its attempts all ended futile, he could feel curiosity well up inside him at this, replacing the negative emotions he felt earlier. Naruto turned and stared at the people who stood before him with an impassive, confused gaze. They all had frightened looks on their faces, and were now cowering away in fear, he took a step forward and they all stumbled backwards, some shouting out unintelligibly about a demon.

With reflexes he hadn't possessed before he swerved out-of-the-way of a large sharp projectile as it cut the position where he had stood, creating ripples of air and cutting some fabric of his shirt.

He looked at the 'annoyance' that stood before him with a confused gaze, for some strange reason he felt that this new presence was an 'annoyance', where he learned the word he didn't know. He seemed to not know a lot of things it seemed.

The man was dressed in the standard Konoha Nin uniform of the village and on his back had a large Fuma Shuriken; he had shoulder length bluish-white hair, a Hitai-ate worn like a bandana on his forehead, and a very wide sneer on his face. Naruto's eyebrow rose delicately at the man who stood before him, he remembered him as one of the new academy instructors and as far as he knew the man he had never held any ill will toward him or he did and he hid it well, perhaps that was how it was, all the world hated him and the only ones who he thought understood and cared for him only pretended to do so.

The man smirked as he saw the Kyubi Jinchuuriki glance at him with a raised eyebrow, "Do you know why all these people are here? Why we detest the very sight of you?" Naruto kept looking at the man, an interested glimmer in his eyes. "That is because you are the Kyubi; eight years ago Yondaime-sama sealed the beast into you. Now you are the demon, you killed all those people back then, you're a murderous Bakemono in human form and Today I will finally put an end to you Kyubi" he said savouring the look of dejection on Naruto's face "Everyone watch as I Mizuki finish the job the Yondaime Hokage started" The man's statement evoked cheers from the large crowd that had gathered by who started cheering for the man to kill the demon as they returned to their senses.

Naruto glanced about and looked into the nearby trees calmly, he could sense and make out various Chakra silhouettes that were hidden in the trees looking at the events as they went by. He wondered how long they had waited there, probably waiting until he had gotten his 'fix' before they rescued him like the good saints they were. If this man attacked him, then he would fight back because he didn't care about the consequences anymore. He twisted his head ever so slightly, his gaze travelling to the great mountain in the background of the village. His gaze landed on the statue-head of a spiky haired man and the barest of frowns lined his features.

He tore his gaze reluctantly from the stone-head of the Yondaime as he felt slight anger try to overtake him; gazing above where he could into the skies over the village where he could there was a giant spherical object that stretched on for miles, encompassing what he assumed was the entire village.

He always knew he was naïve but he was far from stupid, no one would live on the streets and practically raised themselves and not know how the world worked. How prejudiced people could be, how they hated without a reason and loved without so much as returned his gaze to that of the white-haired Chunin and felt anger rise up within him as he recalled what the man had said. He was struggling from keeping himself from blowing up and telling the man that all he had said was a lie and that he was him, not the Kyubi but could he disagree after seeing that 'thing'? He wanted to scream, shout about how unfair it was that they treated him terribly but he didn't. Unfair or not, it had happened.

He was a beast and it had been an eight year old struggle of his and for all those years he had screamed and shouted the unfairness of their treatment on him, had loudly declared he will still be Hokage regardless and would show them, but that only served to increase the people's hatred for himself and nothing changed. So what would a few angry words do now? He had enough of their glares; he felt he would soon snap at them. He snapped out of his daze as the white-haired Chunin as he charged him, Naruto waited for the man, raising his hand slowly, his eyes glinted before he muttered the first thing that came to mind and the last words the 'poor' Chunin would ever hear.

"Shinra Tensei", for a second nothing happened, as it seemed as if the young blond was seemingly playing a game, however a second later Mizuki was forcefully repelled by an invisible force that flung him into the air like some propelling rocket projectile. A large path was paved where the man was flung as trees were blown away, before he collided with a large tree with a sickening crunch, blood erupted from his mouth as he slid down the tree which fell a second later and then his eyes closed, showing the man was dead.

Everybody looked at what had just occurred with wide eyes, and then pandemonium erupted as people began screaming and running away from the 'monster' like headless chicken.

Naruto just gazed at them with an impassive expression, however many failed to see the sad expression that was etched across his face. He had not meant to do that however it was as if he had been possessed even when he muttered that jutsu's name.

he truly was a monster and he now believed it.

He turned to leave only to be stopped by a very firm voice from behind him, he could feel as cold steel pressed against his neck before the person who sounded like a man spoke "Don't move unless you want to die, I am taking you to Hokage-sama so don't make things harder for us" Naruto just remained quiet however a second later the vile and suffocating presence that hung in the air seemingly dissipated as the blond Jinchuuriki collapsed to the ground with exhaustion.

The person behind him with gravity defying spiky silver hair, wearing a white ANBU black op mask with black and red markings around its eyes, mouth and on each side of it, and the traditional Konoha ANBU flak jacket, metal plates on both his hands and arm guards on his arms, on his left shoulder an engraving of the ANBU tattoo sheathed his sword before picking the blond up, wiping some sweat away from his face as the overwhelming pressure that hung in the air dissipated. He could not believe that the kid had generated so much power that it even affected him, an ANBU level ninja. Sparing a glance at the dead Chunin; the masked person sighed and started roof hopping toward the Hokage monument, seemingly a blur of motion to the naked eye.

He looked at the small blond in his arms with his brows furrowed in worry underneath his mask; '_Minato-sensei, I failed you again_' the man thought as he roof hopped with high leaping motions to get to his destination.

One thing was for certain for the masked black op, things were going to get even harder for the blond he had slung over his shoulder.

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**(Unknown Location)**

His single visible black eye opened as the door to his room swung open and in entered a new presence clad in a black cloak with an ANBU mask over the face.

The presence kneeled down in front of the man who sat on a large throne like chair respectfully as a subordinate should.

"Report, Hinoe" the man who sat on the throne demanded in a very emotionless commanding voice. He had shaggy black hair, black eyes although his right eye was concealed by the bandage that was wrapped around half of his head, and he had an x shaped scar on his chin. He was clad in a white shirt with a baggy black robe over it that went all the way to his feet, and his right arm was concealed underneath his robe, however it appeared as if it was held in a sling underneath the robe. As he sat there his gaze boring into that of the masked man before him, the level of cunningness the man radiated was without an equal with a sense of paranoia to it.

"The civilians attacked the target as planned thanks to the Genjutsu you placed over them to control them, the boy did indeed channel 'that' power as planned" the man now identified as 'Hinoe' said in a well-rehearsed robotic monotonous tone that lacked even a shimmer of emotion to it.

Danzo's eye narrowed as his lips twitched upwards in welcome of a small smirk that broke on his face "Is that so? And what did he do with it?" he nodded his head motioning for the other man to continue.

"He seemed to be surprised by it, although that is not the important issue, what is, is that he was able to reign it in somehow, his eyes were also a strange purple colour, he also killed the Chunin Mizuki after he attacked him using a repulsive attack of some sort, after that he collapsed from exhaustion and was taken to the Hokage by Hatake Kakashi" the older man stood up, his eye glinting at something else the masked NE had said, completely disregarding the man's other statement about the eye of their 'target'.

"Excellent, it appears things might start moving my way from now on. I will have to declare the boy a danger to the village at the next council meeting and convince the other council members to hand him over to me to nurture his growth" he paused grabbing his cane before continuing as he began moving towards the exit prompting the other man to follow like a loyal dog "With this incident they will surely see him as a threat to the village's safety" his smirk just grew wider at this, he simply couldn't believe his luck.

All he had done was put the foolish civilians under a Genjutsu and have them attack the blond to coax him into drawing out the power of the Kyubi in desperation. He had been waiting a while for that to happen now, after so many years he had thought that the isolation and hatred would cause the boy to become unstable but he had held on. Then again he was THAT man's son, but now the fear of death had finally gotten to him and he had lost his will to fight or to repress the darkness within him.

Finally things were going his way and soon he would oust Hiruzen and become Hokage once he got the perfect weapon that he so seeks.

'_This will make them fear the boy, and even that fool Sarutobi will have no choice but to agree with their choice. If not they would simply overrule his decision in the matter but they will need some 'persuasion' _' he mused to himself as he moved in the narrow hallways of the hideout with the cloaked and porcelain-masked Hinoe in tow, his cane creating soft knocks as it hit the floor with each step he took.

"Finally the Kyubi shall be mine and so will Konoha"

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***Jutsu Translations***

**Shinra Tensei- Almighty Push**


	2. The Mask Comes Off

**Disclaimer: Like I've said before I do not own Naruto, there!**

**This chapter will contain Naruto's first meeting with the Kyubi. Honestly I hope that I didn't do badly in their interaction and conversation. Anyway guys please leave a review and any suggestion if you have one**.

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**Chapter 1: The Mask Comes Off**

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**Konohagakure no Sato, Medical Centre)**

'_I never thought it would get to this...that Konoha would go this far_?' Sarutobi thought sadly as his dark eyes stared worryingly at the blond boy who lay asleep entangled with white sheets and numerous of those blood transfusion trips on one of the many beds in the large room they were in.

The whiteness of the room displayed the obvious notion that they were in a hospital room, the walls were painted a majestic creamy white colour, draped with similarly white curtains. The wind blew through the serene white curtains softly, brushing away a few strands of hair onto the blonde's whiskered face. A peaceful expression was on his face, almost as if he wasn't the same person who had endured incredible torture the previous night, both physically and emotionally.

The place reeked of a strong smell of clean disinfectants and a combination of other smells which weren't so pleasant. Overall the place wasn't something any one was a frequent visitor of, not by choice anyway. Most people treated it like the plague, for some because it reminded them of someone or something very dear they had lost while for some it was merely because of bad experiences with the place.

One of those people was Naruto of course; the young blond always had a healthy dislike for hospitals but that could be because he was treated like a disease instead of a patient whenever he came to one in the village. Sarutobi gazed at Naruto, noting the boy's unblemished features; the blood that had stained his outfit and his face had all but been washed off his form.

The way the sun streamed in lit up the white-painted room of the hospital, reflecting on the young blonde's face and reminding the old Hokage of someone whose face haunted him every night for the last eight years. It was a heartfelt scene and the old Hokage couldn't help the feelings of regret and guilt that came as he gazed at the boy he saw as his Grandson. The blond stirred for a second before with a low-groan, rippled light purple eyes fluttered open, announcing the re-awakening of the blond from his slumber.

The whites of the blonde's eyes had all but vanished and in their stead were a light purple sclera, circular rings spread from the centre and covered the entirety of the eyes. he had a small pupil in the center of the eye.

Naruto blinked his eyes a few times to get rid of the grogginess and looked around the room and was met with the sight of one of the few people in the village who didn't treat him like a monster. A colourful blue shroud covered him and it circulated calmly within him and the blond nearly smiled upon seeing the man, but forced himself not to. Still getting used to the strange ability of seeing the shroud that circulated within people and plants, the blond had come to the conclusion that it was Chakra but how he could see it he had no clue.

Upon seeing the sight of Naruto's eyes Sarutobi fought back a gasp of shock, he hadn't seen Naruto's eyes when Kakashi brought him to his office the previous night as the boy was unconscious but now that he was seeing them, he couldn't take his gaze off them, after all these was…these were those eyes.

The eyes of legend, the mythical eyes of the Rikudou Sennin and believed to grant the user god-like abilities and attributes. The eyes of Samsara; the Rinnegan.

He had to stop himself from immediately bombarding Naruto with questions about what happened to his eyes, but rationalized that the boy could prove to be just as confused as he is. He could only wonder how Naruto could have such eyes, seeing as both his parents had no particular bloodline to speak of. How Naruto had something that even the Uchiha and the Senju clan members couldn't have escaped him and what did it all mean?

Could he be the Sage reincarnate? Or something else entirely terrifying? Despite the horrendous treatment he was subject to, Naruto never lost his will nor the goodness in his heart but how long would it be before his fragile young mind was shattered and he lost his perfect heart. Not long if you consider what happened the previous night. He knew that Naruto wasn't a vengeful child, well except with pranks, but he often wondered how much more could Naruto's fragile mind take before the blond snapped. His encouraging and soothing words always brought Naruto comfort, but at the end of the day, Naruto still lived alone and during that time, his loneliness would haunt him and he might just be tempted by the Kyubi. The seal had weakened the previous night and he would have to get Jiraiya to re-enforce it since he didn't wish to temper with the Hakke no Fuin Shiki.

He certainly hoped that wasn't the case but then at the same time he wondered what extreme emotions could the blond had experienced to awaken the Rinnegan because there was no mistaking it, that design fit the old age description of the mythical eyes held in the fire temple.

Snapping himself out of his self-endured state of shock as he realized he was staring, he moved closer to the blond.

"It would be better if you did not try to speak for now Naruto-kun; you gave me quite the scare last night, how do you feel my boy?" he gazed at the young blond, smiling warmly at him as he had always done ever since the boy could learn to speak.

Naruto squinted his eyes, and closed them shut. He felt as the warm feeling in his eyes stop flowing and when he opened them again, he no longer could see the silhouette of Chakra surrounding the aged Hokage.

Naruto frowned and remained quiet as he pondered the question the old man had asked. His expression was impassive however there was a hint of hurt on his face. His gaze was absently staring at the white walls of his room. After a minute when it seemed the boy wasn't going to speak Sarutobi opened his mouth to speak only to be cut off when the young blonde's lips moved, "When…when were you going to tell me…that I'm a demon?"

The Hokage's eyes widened, before he sighed bringing his hand to rub his forehead as he contemplated whether to answer the question truthfully or not. He knew he simply couldn't lie anymore. He had known that eventually this day would come when he would eventually have to disclose about Naruto's tenant but part of him had hoped it wouldn't come this soon. Naruto was just fine oblivious as he was for the time being, god knows the boy deserved a normal life more than anyone he knew. "I am sorry Naruto-kun, but I simply couldn't for your protection. I was going to tell you eventually but once you were grown enough to understand"

"But why did the Yon…. why did he do this to me, wasn't there another way?"

The old Hokage noted the pause in the blonde's speech with a sad frown "I am afraid not; you see Bijuu cannot be killed because they are made out of purely Chakra. The only way to stop them is to seal them, and most unfortunately it is in most circumstances within a Human infant" he could see the hurt still lingering within the blonde's heart but he hoped the young blond would understand his deceased successor's reasons.

"So I guess I was just born on the wrong night huh?" the blonde murmured quietly, clenching at his bandaged navel tightly with his hand, drawing a small line of blood.

Although it wasn't true, the Sandaime couldn't help but nod in agreement "Do you hate him Naruto-kun, do you hate the Yondaime for sealing the Kyubi into you?" he watched as various emotions played on the boy's face, but anger was the most clear one.

Naruto's brows furrowed lightly in a frown as he answered, "I…I'm not sure I hate him, but he isn't my favourite person either. I don't understand why he picked me out of all the children in the village. The fact that he picked me meant my parents probably didn't care about me either, but complaining wouldn't change anything would it?" the question at the end of the statement was rhetoric but Sarutobi found himself nodding in agreement.

"Well at least understand Naruto-kun that he chose you because you are special and because you were the only child who could hold the Chakra of the demon. He did not plan for this to happen, he wished for you to be seen as a hero for your sacrifice but the people ignored his wish" The elder man said trying to reassure the younger boy while carefully avoiding the comment made about his 'parents'.

"Well I understand perfectly. Hokage have to make sacrifices but he had **no right to do what he did to me, because of him I'm seen as a monster and I will never be accepted in the village**" Naruto took calming breaths as he realized he was gripping the sheets tightly with his hands as he felt red-hot anger boiling within him. His form was quivering and he could feel the Kyubi's chakra bubbling just under the surface waiting for him to pull on it but he would not be tempted a second time. "What's gonna happen to me now, I…killed a ninja of the village didn't I?" the young blond asked quietly in a low tone while biting down on his lip, his gaze still focused on the walls above him.

The older man was left somewhat flabbergasted by the statement, it wasn't really at the statement so much but at the maturity he could pick up from the blond. Was Naruto always this way or did he truly not know the boy like he thought he did? Snapping himself back to reality he spoke with his usual firm voice "Nothing will happen to you Naruto-kun, I promise" the older man said re-assuredly, but he could see that the young boy was not as optimistic as he was.

Naruto simply remained silent at that, how many promises had the Hokage made that hadn't turned true at all, he had promised the people would understand him with time and would no longer glare at him and ignore him; had promised he would have friends once he went to school; however that was a lie. All he had received was even more persecution and even more isolated before, he felt even lonelier at the academy than he did alone in his Rundown apartment. He had had enough of the empty promises; they had cost him his innocence, had made him hopeful only for his wishes and hopes to be brutally crushed once reality shone down the next day.

Sarutobi was having his own dilemma as well, seeing the normally boisterous blond looking so dull broke Hiruzen's heart. Normally the boy would always bounce back from the glares and the harsh treatment like it did not faze him and still declare loudly that he would be Hokage and they would finally respect him and see him as a person. It was always about respect, Naruto craved it more than anything besides acknowledgement and his lack of contact with it and the way the people treated him was one of the reasons the boy didn't know how to return it either.

Grabbing the boy's shoulder, the Sandaime offered a sincere smile for the boy as he looked at him with those rippled-purple eyes, "It is going to be fine Naruto-kun, now you just rest up. You lost quite a lot of Chakra and blood yesterday in your skirmish with Mizuki and the mob" the younger blond nodded causing the Hokage to smile wider before turning and heading for the door. Stopping just before he exited, he glanced at the boy over the corner of his eye "Do you still wish to be Hokage Naruto-kun?"

"I'm not sure, part of me still does but another part of me doesn't want to be one any longer. Why should I protect and even die for people who can't stand the sight of me?" Naruto kept his gaze on the sheets below him as he answered, he didn't even know what it was he wanted any more, but one thing he knew he did want was to be treated like a normal person and that was something he could never get here in Konoha.

"I thought so myself, however I understand. Now rest up, I will come by later to see you" the old Kage offered a sad smile as he exited the room, now to deal with the troublesome council. He would discuss the change involving Naruto's eyes with him later on, for now he would let him rest and regain his bearings. He could see he was still angry, at him.

* * *

Once the Hokage had left Naruto had been left to his thoughts, his line of thought had taken the direction of something he had planned to do for a while. Leaving the village, he had planned to run away from the village for months now however his heart kept telling him Konoha was his home but home was where the heart is as they say and Naruto's heart was definitely not at Konoha for obvious reasons.

Naruto like the innocent child he was often longed for a place where he would be treated with at least some measure of civility, somewhere he could start anew because where he was now all he felt was hatred. It was one of the reasons he usually wondered what other villages were out there, and would they treat him the same way as Konoha. But if they didn't know about his condition they wouldn't right? Or would they?

As the memories of his time in Konoha hit him again, all of the times of when he got kicked out of stores, sold rotten food at unreasonable prices and finally the beating from last night. He couldn't help but feel his emotions stir once more, loneliness, sadness followed by anger and deep hatred for the villagers.

**(Mindscape)**

Sometimes, on rare occasions he just wished they could burn in hell while he watched them suffer like he did, to hear them scream as the Kyubi tore them apart for real. Snapping himself out of his dark thoughts with a sigh, he realized that he was no longer in the hospital room, his line of thought had caused him to unconsciously draw on that strange Chakra again and now he was in what appeared to be a sewer with small pathways and numerous pipes that ran above the ceiling.

'_A sewer_?' He stood up briskly, looking at one of the pipes which seemed to be leaking some foul red substance. The blonde's senses could pick up a strange feeling of familiarity coming from the red liquid which seemed to corrode the floor whenever it came into contact with it. But strangely enough when he blinked the ground seemed to repair itself almost as if he could will it to. He looked down and found himself staring down at ankle-deep water, and a small sense of panic and dread etched into his heart.

Steeling his resolve, he began moving toward the direction most of the pipes and corridor seemed to all lead in the darkened passageways, it was eerily quiet the only noise coming from the irritating drips of water from the largest pipe in the room. With every step he took he could feel the malicious aura that he had felt when he had been attacked by the civilians, the one he had felt coursing through his veins, increasing rapidly. Turning around a corner he came upon the largest room in the strange place so far, before him stood an enormous metal gate, taller than any gate he had ever seen, with a Kanji for 'seal' atop it. Darkness permeated behind the cage like some sort of black hole, it stretched on for what the blond could only assume was miles.

It was quiet but Naruto got a strange feeling that he was not alone, and he was proven right when two large red orbs flew open from behind the gargantuan metal gates, making him stumble back in shock. He could see as something parted and sharp toothy objects seemed to grin at him menacingly. The blonde's eyes widened and he took a scrambling step back as he could see them glinting evilly, and his eyes picked up an enormous darkened silhouette descending toward him.

Every part of his body screamed for him to run but his curiosity got the best of him, subconsciously channelling Chakra to his eyes, he could make out a very thick red silhouette of Chakra. Its chakra was so dense and immeasurable and it made the blond feel extremely uneasy.

The descending figure stopped moving and Naruto was greeted to the sight of two slitted crimson red eyes which bored at him like an insignificant ant, making him freeze slightly before he was hit by an intense aura of malice that whatever monstrosity behind the gate radiated. In that moment Naruto knew that whatever was behind the gate wasn't human and that it hadn't very pleasant intentions. Its mouth was wide open in a menacing toothy grin.

Definitely a terrifying sight…

A large clawed hand slammed hand against the metal bars of the gate causing the young blond to jump away, however he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that they could not reach him, the hand stroked the metal bars before Naruto finally had a good look of what was behind them. Its reddish-orange form towered over his significantly; its upper body was humanoid like. It was a sight he had briefly only seen once in a picture inside the Hokage tower.

The Kyubi no Yoko…

"**Finally my host graces me with his presence**" the enormous construct huffed out as it stared dispassionately at its host with its slitted red eyes. It moved its head closer to the bars, baring its terrifying fangs at the blond to increase the effect of its intimidation.

"Are…are you…the Kyubi" Naruto's voice trembled slightly as he tried to keep a straight face while staring at the mighty beast in front of him. He took a deep breath to compose himself as he felt nervous under the intense scrutinizing stare of the being behind the tall gate.

"**Yes I am the greatest of all the Bijuu but that distasteful term is only a reference to my tails conjured by you foolish mortals**" the humanoid-like fox bellowed loudly, glaring intensely at the blond and increasing the intimidating sight further.

"Oh, then what is your real name?" the blond asked curiously.

"**That you shall never learn Ningen, assuming you live long enough for me to deem you worthy of telling" **

Naruto's eyes flickered about as he took in the appearance of the place "What is this place and how did I get here?"

"**Foolish Ningen, this waste of space is your mind or part of your consciousness. A manifestation as a result of the seal placed on you by the Yondaime Hokage when he sealed me into you**" the Kyubi was surprised the boy didn't seem surprised at that or even react in a way he normally would have. Rather the boy's facial expression was stoical.

"I've already figured that out, I saw you that time when I…killed that guy" Naruto said as his gaze fell from that of the Kyubi to gaze guiltily at his own reflection on the Ankle-deep water beneath him, noting with a somewhat surprised expression how his eyes now looked "At first you were trying to help me? And then You began screaming and trying to kill me, why?" the Kyubi grunted in annoyance as its eyes picked up on Naruto's gaze and saw how it lingered on the look of his new eyes.

Of course he had been extremely angry when Naruto had awakened 'those' eyes and managed to suppress his Chakra. It had been the opportune moment to take advantage of the boy's weakened mental stability back then but somehow fate had other ideas. With another loud growl of iritation, the Bijuu decided to ignore the question and glared at Naruto with an intense stare "**What exactly is it you seek Ningen?** **Is it my Chakra?** **Speak my patience with you is wearing thin**"

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath of air and the enormous being before him braced itself for what was to come out of the Human's miniscule mind "No, uhh I need your help. I need you to help me…escape from the village" Naruto said as he opened his eyes to stare seriously at the mighty beast.

Silence followed that statement before it was broken by the Kyubi's booming laughter "**And just what makes you think I will help an impudent mortal like you**, **you are the reason that I don't have my freedom any**-"

"And you are the reason for all the hatred I have ever received my whole life. You owe me for living inside of me and it's time to pay up" Naruto fired back with equal fire, his red-hot stubbornness returning tenfold as he forgot he was speaking to the Kyubi.

"**I OWE YOU NOTHING HUMAN AND** **DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK TO ME IN SUCH A MANNER FOOL, being sealed into you a pathetic child was the last thing wanted." **The air grew cold as the Bijuu's cold voice made Naruto flinch** "You humans are all the same, always looking for something to blame when everything does not go your way, you are just like those foolish citizens of Konoha**" Naruto's eyes widened at that statement. He realised the Bijuu was right, he was acting like the people of Konoha did toward him. He was being exactly like them, blaming the Kyubi for his misfortunes. But then if he couldn't blame Kyubi then who could he blame, the Yondaime? Well he was dead and if he could bring him back to life just to rip him a new one, then he would. "**You are the one who killed that other Ningen"** the Kyubi finished as it sent a glare toward the blond, the boy was beginning to test his patience and he was a little surprised himself they had talked this long so far and he still hadn't dismissed the blond.

Naruto's averted his gaze ashamedly "I'm sorry, I…just hate this " he said softly with clenched fists, the end of his statement coming out barely above a whisper, however the Kyubi picked it up without any trouble.

The old fox let out another huff of exasperation, "**I do not share your foolish sentiments, nor will I accept them"**

The blond nodded his head "So do you know what happened last night, why I killed that guy?"

"**That is because you drew in too much of my Chakra than you could handle**** and although you may not have wanted to kill the Ningen, you felt you had to. It wasn't my influence you were under but that of another 'source'. Those eyes of yours have great power but they also evoke feelings of justice in their wielder. After awakening them you are never the same, unlike the Mangekyo Sharingan dojutsu of those accursed Uchiha which makes them lose their eyesight along with their sanity, your sense of what is and what isn't right is augmented and your personality changes slightly when you awaken those eyes of 'yours'" **there was a slight begrudging tone to the Bijuu's voice as it made reference to Naruto's Rinnegan.

"Dojutsu? What are they?" Naruto snapped up as he asked an obviously confused expression on his face as it was scrunched up in thought.

The old Bijuu sighed gruffly for the first time that day. For some reason the Bijuu felt that was something he was going to be doing often these days "**They are eyes that are unique to only the Hyuga and Uchiha clans in Konoha; they are passed down from Human to Human as bloodline traits**,"

"Wait, if they are bloodlines as you say, then these eyes that I have, did my….my…." the Kyubi nodded knowing what the blond wanted to ask.

Closing its eyes the gigantic being let out a huff of air which ruffled Naruto's form in the form of a warm breeze "**No they did not; your mother did not have the Rinnegan although she was from the Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure while your father was not from a clan at all**"

Naruto's eyes lit up at that, so his mother was from a clan then maybe when he left Konoha he could find them, however all his hopes were dashed when the Kyubi continued, "**And the Uzumaki were all wiped out after the second Shinobi war by Kiri, Kumo and Iwagakure when they joined to attack the village, so do not get your hopes up Ningen**"

Naruto's shoulders sagged a little at that statement before he raised his head up again to look at the Kyubi, "Then did you know my parents? And how come I have these eyes, Renegan or something? I don't understand" The blond looked hopefully at the towering figure of his tenant. No matter how much he forced himself to believe he had gotten over his want to know of his parents, part of him still wished to know his origins.

"**It is Rinnegan and I don't understand how you have them as well because as far as I know those eyes are not passed down like a bloodline trait and were only unique to the Rikudou Sennin because of special circumstances involving his mother, however I can only guess you are his reincarnation which disturbs me a lot because no Ningen can ever emulate him. As for your parents they were not my favourite people and I despise them, however you can ask the old Monkey, he knows who they are**"

Naruto's eyes went downcast at hearing that, yet another secret kept from by his Jiji and this one truly made him feel bitter. Even if the man didn't want to tell him about his parents, he could've at least told him what they were like, settling to put off those thoughts for now, he gazed up at the Bijuu before him "Who is this Rikudou Sennin anyway?" the Kyubi stared at the blond wondering whether he should even bother telling the boy.

In the end with another huff of breath the Bijuu began "**He was the first Ningen to become a Shinobi yet not technically like the corrupted type of this generation, he created Ninshuu, and he was the one who taught people how to use chakra in hopes that it will unite them and bring them closer. I respect him greatly, however even I can recognise how naïve he had been and his Naivety seems to run deep, even in some of his descendants**"

"So he was the first person to use Chakra and taught other people how to?" Naruto stared at the mighty beast with an inquisitive look on his face. He himself was surprised with how he wanted to know more about this 'Sage of six paths'.

"**Yes in a way he is the creator of the Shinobi world, however he had intended his teachings to create understanding between you Ningen, but humans being the greedy and selfish evil creatures that they are used his teachings to capture us Bijuu to be used as weapons and create a more destructive version of his Ninshuu, Ninjutsu. The techniques that you see every day and use to enslave us and against one another instead of helping of harnessing their great power to heal, and your kind has the gall to consider mine evil. So very few ever follow his teachings, mostly the priestesses of demon country and the various bald-headed Ningen who like to meditate**" the Kyubi said with a seemingly disinterested huff.

After releasing a heavy sigh the young blond decided to get back on topic as he felt they were breaking off now "I don't even understand some of that stuff but will you help me now, I need to leave this village before I lose it"

The Kyubi remained silent at that, staring at Naruto with a piercing stare and making him shift uncomfortably.

"So can I count on you to help me, even if we will never be the best of friends, you and I only have each other right now" Naruto didn't know what had possessed him to say that but he had felt that it was the right thing to say. But he knew that it was indeed true, he only had the Kyubi to depend on right now for this.

The Kyubi still remained silent after the statement, as if contemplating the young blonde's words, so far two of his previous hosts had never talked to him directly or under the best circumstances during the time he was sealed in them and even in those few times they always expressed how tainted and evil his Chakra was. This boy here didn't express such thoughts, and although indirectly he could be counted as the cause for the boy's harsh childhood, it seemed Naruto wasn't going to use that as an excuse anymore and had even used the word 'friend' when referring to their situation. A word so foreign to him he had only encountered it once in his millennia long existence, in a way he was the same as Naruto, disliked by their kind and the whole Human race but its situation could merely be out of its arrogance and it's looking down on its brethren. So what was the boy thinking? That they could somehow in the long run become 'Buddies'?

Unlike Gyuki Kyubi was not hyped about making friends with its hosts and beside that its experience with its Jinchuriki was an unpleasant one. It instead preferred the quiet and besides the Kyubi believed humans were far too untrustworthy and vile to consider befriending but why did it get the feeling that this Ningen standing before it was something different.

Was it because of his unyielding will that seemed to resemble and even somehow surpass its creator's? A notion the immortal being thought impossible in all the millennia it had been in existence. Naruto, while not directly a descendant of the man who had created the nine Bijuu as the Uchiha and the Senju were, Naruto possessed many traits that the sage had that some of the founding clan members did not have. His strong will, potent chakra that was strong enough to supress his without actually being a bloodline like that forest loving freak Hashirama Senju's Mokuton or that of the Sharingan, and his other noticeable trait was the Rinnegan of course. His kindness, forgiving and pure heart was the trait the Bijuu respected greatly of its container but it knew one day he would fall to the greed of Humanity like all others before him. But could it put away its differences with the blond and help him?

Letting out a grunt and giving a brief nod of agreement the old Bijuu spoke "**Very well then, I shall help you but do not formulate any ideas Ningen and do not assume we are friends either, I still want to rip you to shreds and devour you after all**"

The blond nodded his head in agreement, a brief smile flashing across his lips as he spoke "I understand Kyubi-san," he said in a very formal tone for the first time that night causing the eyebrow of the Kyubi to raise slightly at being addressed formally, however Naruto couldn't understand whether that was at him addressing the monolithic being formally or at simply not making too much fuss about the fox's not so subtle threats to tear him to shreds.

Looking at the water below his ankles, which strangely he could not feel, he got a good look of his eyes for only the second time, but this time noticing how his eyes nearly glowed as he lifted his face to stare seriously at the Kyubi, " Okay now let's do this"

* * *

**(Council Chambers)**

Various incoherent murmurs could be heard coming from the room as the members of Konoha's council shuffled in their seats as they assembled to discuss the solution to their 'new' problem and the events that transpired the day before. All the council members quieted down as Sarutobi entered, the elders Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu in tow.

Taking their respective seats, the old Hokage motioned for everyone to settle down before the meeting began.

The Shinobi and clan section of the council were all settled calmly. There was the Yamanaka clan leader Inoichi, on his right sat the Nara clan representative Shikaku and next to him was the Akimichi clan representative Choza, the three were the former teammates and the members of the first generation Ino-chika-cho as many had taken to calling them for their brave efforts in the third Shinobi war.

The Uchiha clan seat was of course empty, but next to it sat Hyuga clan leader Hiashi, and on his left Inuzuka Tsume while on his left sat Shibi Aburame of the Aburame clan. The rest of the gathered members were all civilians who held significant power in the village and they all appeared unsettled.

Clearing his throat he spoke in a serious voice that demanded the attention of all in the room, "I gather you all know why you have been called here" receiving several nods of agreement from the people in the room he continued, "We are all here because of the incident that took place yesterday in which an assassination attempt was made on Uzumaki Naruto's life by a group of civilians-"

An impetuous civilian interrupted "Hokage-sama, I suggest we have the boy executed" a civilian council member all but demanded, earning several nods of agreement from other civilian members.

Sarutobi narrowed his eye at the woman dangerously, "I never gave you permission to speak civilian, and for what reason should I have Naruto-kun executed?" he asked staring blankly at the woman with his still narrowed eyes piercing through her form.

"W-we all saw what he did, that little de-boy killed that poor Chunin whom if it wasn't for his intervention we would all be killed and furthermore he nearly turned into the Kyubi right before our very eyes. The boy is a walking time bomb" the woman finished once more garnering nods and murmurs of agreement from her faction.

"Although you may see the boy as dangerous, so far before the events of the previous day, he has never done anything to warrant execution. I do not agree with your view Hageru-san. The boy may simply have been at his moment of weakness" Homura argued while rubbing at his beard in thought. Of course he had nothing against Naruto, in fact he liked the boy but often he found himself caught up between a rock and a hard place because of his place in the council.

"Yes I agree with elder Homura, he is still just an innocent pup. All of this scrutiny will break him and I don't want to think what would happen if that ever happened" Tsume said as she looked at everyone in the room with a calm stare.

"That thing is the incarnation of evil, it is not innocent. It killed someone and for that it should be punished with its life as well"

"That is rather foolish, more so because the Chunin broke the law Hokage-sama set up. So in this case Mizuki's death was imminent for breaking the law and speaking of Naruto-san's status in public. His death at the hands of Naruto-kun should not be up for discussion really" Shibi said in his usual monotonous voice, lifting up his glasses slightly as he spoke.

"I agree with Aburame-dono, this meeting so far has been a waste of time. Clearly Uzumaki-san is not at fault here" Hiashi voiced his opinion all the while retaining his impassive posture.

Seeing things shaping up in the manner he had hoped to, Danzo abruptly stood up. Staring at all the council members in the room with a levelling stare and drawing all the attention toward him.

Those who knew him well could predict what he was going to say. "Yes I agree with Hageru-san, the boy clearly is unstable. However rather than have him executed, i propose he be handed over to my care. He is still the village's Jinchuriki and will ensure he is safe and that he's a great asset to Konoha that will serve the village greatly" several heads from the civilian faction and those of the elders nodded in agreement.

"Serve Konoha? I think we all know you enough to know what your motive really is Danzo" Shikaku snorted at the elder man who had now returned to his seat with an annoyed grunt.

"Yes and that is the betterment of Konoha, for that I suggest a vote. For those who are in favour of handing the boy to me and for those against to raise their hands at their respective turns" the old warmonger suggested causing several of the Shinobi council members to frown at his response to the Nara.

Danzo simply suppressed a grin as he saw Koharu nod in agreement along with the other members from the civilian faction. Yes, everything was going his way so far.

"Yes I also second that, under the tutelage of Danzo he will be kept far from the village and the people can rest easy. What do you think Hokage-sama?" Koharu asked the man who had remained silent for quite some time now after his response to the civilian council member.

Sarutobi stood up from his chair and slammed his hands on the table, making the other occupants flinch in fear before suddenly the pressure in the room increased tenfold as everyone were struck by a terrifying murderous aura that weighed down on them. Many of the civilian council members' eyes widened in terror as the Hokage levelled all of them with a firm stare. Even the members of the Shinobi council found themselves sweating a bit at the Hokage's Killing Intent. The only one who didn't seem fazed was Danzo however the man could simply have hidden it well under his impassive mask.

"No he will not be executed nor will he be handed to Danzo for any matter. I have realised that I have been far too soft on you all, what happened yesterday, Naruto will not be at fault for. The Chunin who was killed had attacked Naruto-kun and you all claim the boy was going to attack you if he hadn't interfered, but what would call for Naruto to kill you. So far the poor boy hasn't attacked anyone and yet you all tried to kill him. Well, you all know the consequences for revealing the boy's secret to other's his age but now you try to blatantly assasinate him?! All those who were involved in the attack on young Naruto will be immediately turned in to Ibiki for interrogation and later executed" the Hokage's expression was firm and his eyes hardened in a glare as he levelled them all with a dangerous glare.

The statement drew several gasps from the crowd mostly from the civilian side of the council before one man stood up pointing his figure at the Hokage "Hokage-sama but you can't do that, the demon child is at fault here. He drew on the Kyubi's chakra and he is the one who should be executed not those innocent people"

"SILENCE! You will not refer to Naruto as the demon, understood? And further more do you disrespect the sacrifice of the Yondaime so much that you would execute his only son?" several heads snapped up in surprise at that revelation. However the Hokage didn't even seem to notice their surprise as his facial expression was set in a disappointed frown "This village has truly fell from grace, if Naruto was as evil as you say he is then you would not be standing here blabbering nonsensical obscenities. If he was the demon you say he is, how brave are the civilians of this village to attack him then? Their attacks on the boy only proves that they know that the boy isn't the Kyubi but simply dismiss it or otherwise they wouldn't even get close to him"

Danzo's eye narrowed as the Hokage continued his monologue. He knew this would surely ruin his chances of claiming the Jinchuriki. It was an ingenious strategy by Hiruzen of course and it sickened him how he was trying to outwit him yet again.

"Do you think the Yondaime would pick any random child to make into a Jinchuriki? No, that is because he simply did not want to ask a family to sacrifice their child. He cared too much for this village to put such a great burden on someone else's child when even he could not make such a sacrifice. His wife Kushina Uzumaki, the previous Kyubi Jinchuriki even went so far as to offer to have the Kyubi sealed back into her even though she would die in the process and the Kyubi will return someday. Can you imagine her pain knowing that not only will her son become a Jinchuriki but will also be alone to bear your hatred without any parents to help him? Because unlike Minato she knew the harsh life and treatment all Jinchuriki were dealt. It appears that perhaps their sacrifices for this village were for nothing, this village does not deserve those two, Konoha has shamed the legacies of my past predecessors and successor."

They all became solemn at that, even the clans' representatives had their heads bowed down and hanging in shame because they unlike the civilian faction knew of the blonde's heritage and understood his situation yet they also warded their children away from him and told them to avoid the boy. Some of the civilian council members' mouths were slightly aghast in shock and denial was written on their faces, but none paid them any heed.

The silence was broken when a member of the civilian council spoke' it was an aged man who owned several weapons' stores in Konoha; his daughter was a student in the academy named Tenten. The man's voice was solemn and somewhat subdued as he spoke out "Where is Naruto-sama now Hokage-sama? He deserves all our thanks I believe for all the bad and unpleasant acts we have committed against him, I for one Have never had a problem with Uzu-Namikaze-sama however it still doesn't make any difference since just watching him suffer is just as bad as making him suffer since we didn't acknowledge him and in turn he couldn't distinguish between the people who had a problem with him and those who did not"

Hiruzen opened his mouth to speak but whatever he was going to say was interrupted when an ANBU burst through the doors slightly winded and out of breath as if they had just ran a marathon between Konoha and Suna. Fixing a stare at the feminine masked figure who had assumed a crouching position as they began to regain their bearings the Hokage asked, ''What is the matter Neko-san?" he asked as he kept his gaze firmly on the female ANBU.

"Forgive me for interrupting what must be an important meeting Hokage-sama and honourable council members" all the other occupants in the room nodded in understanding knowing that ANBU never did things without reason for that matter.

Danzo remained emotionless as he waited for the purple headed ANBU to continue. So far his plans had not worked out well, and with Sarutobi's revelation of the Kyubi Jinchuriki's heritage it will now be nigh impossible for him to convince everyone to hand Naruto over to his 'care'.

The people will likely dote all over him like a prince now. How foolish! It disgusted him to even think about. The boy was a weapon and needed to be forged and nurtured into one. That was the reason behind Jinchuriki, they were not people but simply objects to use in protection of the village but nobody seemed to see things his way.

"Hokage-sama, I had just returned from my mission when I found a team of Chunin that were on guard duty knocked out in the west sector of the village near the village wall, they say that they were attacked by Naruto and that he fled the village"

The statement had the not so surprising effect on the occupants in the room as they all gasped in disbelief and great shock, the Hokage rubbed at his forehead in distress and before anyone could act he fell on the ground. He could barely hear as they all doted on him as his mind was solely on Naruto and him alone.

The young boy had left the village.

Something he had not thought could happen, he was now venturing into the world, alone and without protection, the boy could be killed by Iwagakure no Sato if they realised he was related to the Yondaime Hokage or he could be captured by another village if they learned he was a Jinchuriki or the existence of his Rinnegan was discovered. How far distraught was the boy that he had decided to leave? Perhaps it was for the best, it would spare him the hatred of Konoha for a while. Maybe one day he could return to become a Shinobi of the village however unlikely that was, but still he would look for him and try to bring him home.

'_Naruto I am so sorry my boy_' the old Hokage thought sadly, his heart was heavily clenched in pain, he had failed Minato, Kushina and most of all he had failed Naruto; he could only hope that the boy wouldn't die. He would have to enlist the help of Jiraiya to track him down.

While the others all were staring at the aged Hokage who had collapsed, Danzo's eyes were firmly focused in the direction of the village wall as if he was searching for something. He honestly wished the fool Hiruzen could just die. The man had denied him his weapon and he would be damned if he let the Jinchuriki escape, nodding his head to one of his ROOT ANBU who was in the room, he snuck out of the chambers carefully amidst the commotion. If he was successful, what he had in mind would ensure that he has his weapon; he would capture the Jinchuriki and foster him without Sarutobi's knowledge before it was finally time for him to reveal him.

Yes that would be perfect, the foolish Kyubi wouldn't escape his grasp, because nothing escaped him.

He was the Shinobi no Yami for a reason.

* * *

**(Villages Outskirts)**

Standing outside the village, Naruto took one last look at the village that had been his home for eight years, home to his pain and suffering. A large backpack was slung securely on his back. He wore a white mesh shirt with a red spiral on its front, black knee-length shorts and blue sandals. His rippled-purple eyes had a troubled glimmer in them and were squinted into slits. His hair was messy as the day he was born and but on the occasion was rather unkempt from a lack of good care.

There were no good memories he could recall of the place except those of few of himself with the Hokage and the Ichiraku, so he knew without a doubt that he had no regrets about leaving the village. He was only slightly sad that he did not say goodbye but knew that would not bode well for him, he knew for a fact that Sarutobi would not want him to leave the village and would stop him from leaving, reminding himself that there could already be Shinobi after hi the young blond took off in a run only to be stopped when a group of people dropped in around him.

There were about a dozen of them in total and they were all clad in ANBU uniform and in front of them all was a man was he had seen on one occasion speaking to his Ojii-san and from that single brief interaction the blond had always had a bad feeling about the man. The man had looked at him in a way that had greatly unnerved and disturbed him on that occasion and even now he still was. He was old, almost as old as the Hokage and taller as well and had an x shaped scar on his chin and strangely enough his right hand wasn't underneath his cloak like usual and was out as if he came prepared to fight.

The blond was starting to get nervous as the men surrounding him all pulled out their Tanto, the processes creating a melodious tone of some kind which was in all kinds dangerous.

As the Cyclops old man's single eye bore into him, Naruto could feel his mind screaming for him to move, to run away from this man for some reason he could not fathom.

His lips moved and in the gruff voice he was known for he spoke "And just where do you think you are going, Kyubi?"

* * *

***Translation***

**Hakke no Fuin Shiki- Eight Triagrams Sealing style**


	3. The ROOT of the problem

**Disclaimer: Yeah so I don't own Naruto, so what?**

* * *

**Chapter 2: The ROOT of the Problem**

* * *

**(Konohagakure, Village Outskirts)**

"And just where do you think you are going, Kyubi?"

Naruto was in panic mode, clear unhindered thought had left him and all he could think about was the pounding of his heart. He had been caught and now he would be taken back to the village, back to that hell hole.

He looked at the man before him who stared him down blankly, his gaze firm and undeterred, as if measuring his worth like a bull about to be bought to do farm work. He got the feeling that this man before him was here for other reasons besides returning him to the village. He took in the appearance of the man before him, the one who had spoken, he was wearing a black robe that covered his right shoulder and went all the way to his feet. His right arm was hidden underneath the Robe almost as if in a cast, and underneath he wore a white long-sleeved gi. The right side of his face was covered in bandages and in his hand was a walking stick.

Naruto felt a cold feeling wash over him as he met the man's stare, somehow he just radiated that feeling that would unnerve and unsettle you every time you would meet his gaze. Naruto unconsciously shook his head as he felt a disruption in his Chakra system, he could see Chakra flowing out of the man's bandaged eye and trying to somehow affecting the flow of his…

'**Be careful Ningen, he is trying to cast a Genjutsu on you'**

'_What should I do then?'_

'**Impotent fool, release a burst of Chakra and purge the Genjutsu from your system'**

'_Hai, thanks again Kyubi'_ there was no answer to his statement but the blond knew the Bijuu had heard him.

A brief wisp of blue circulated Naruto's form, making Danzo frown at his Genjutsu being dispelled by the boy.

'_He broke my mind control Genjutsu…interesting; there might be more to the Kyubi than meets the eye'_

Naruto, having released the Genjutsu looked at the man yet again, meeting his cold stare "C-can I help you?" Naruto asked, it wasn't the smartest thing to say in this context but he was raking his head looking for things he could say, with this statement he at least tried to remain inconspicuous by acting the fool not to raise any suspicion from the man who was obviously a hard-core Shinobi.

The elder man simply kept looking at him with an impassive stare, his unfaltering stare sending a cold feeling brushing through Naruto's back.

"Yes" he responded monotonously, "By coming with me" he said making a gesture to the ANBU with him who all responded by getting into ready positions.

"No you're not taking me back there, I won't go back there. I…I hate that place" Naruto all but growled out in anger at the man who kept his still impassive expression, his act now forgotten as he tapped into his 'old' stubborn air-headed self.

The man was not at all fazed by the young blond who was glaring daggers at him "You don't have to worry about that young Jinchuriki; I will not take you to Konoha, at least not THAT Konoha. If you come with me I promise to train you, give you all that you desire, and in exchange all you have to do is serve me, it is a reasonable offer" Naruto gazed down at the ground at that, silently contemplating the Cyclops' offer. Part of him wanted to take the man on his offer but another part told him it wouldn't bode well for him in the future but still…

Danzo inwardly smirked as he saw the boy contemplating his offer, with his head lowered. Perhaps he wouldn't need to use force to tame the beast after all. He still did not wish to reveal his new trump card yet, not this soon. He waited to see if the boy would be coaxed into side, he knew that the boy's greatest weakness was his emotions but he was also not ignorant toward the fact that emotions also bred unpredictability and undesired ends. As they say sentimentality is synonymous with vulnerability and made one easy to coaxing or cheap persuasion, and he hoped to change that in Naruto but for now he would try to play this game, if he offered the Jinchuriki what he always desired, acknowledgement, there was no way he wouldn't be tempted but if he didn't, then he would make him join him, forcefully.

As Naruto mused on his options he was broken from his thoughts by the loud voice of the Kyubi "**No Ningen, do not accept this old Ningen's offer. I can feel nothing but malicious intentions coming off of him; if you do he will only use you because of me. I can almost smell the way he is looking through you, almost as if he is trying to peer through you into me. It is your choice however, but choose wisely because whatever you do now, there will be no turning back**"

Naruto was surprised and nearly jumped in surprise as the loud voice boomed in his head. However his surprise didn't last long _'Hey a little warning would be nice'_ his statement was met with a huff of exasperation. _'But thanks again…anyway'_ he exclaimed mentally, mentally nodding albeit a bit hesitantly at the Bijuu's advice. Naruto raised his head to look at the man "And if I don't want to accept your offer?"

Danzo simply looked as always but he did shrug his shoulders slightly; "Then I will just have to 'persuade' you Kyubi" that was the second time the man had referred to him as the Kyubi, and it made him a little angry and curious at the same time. He knew he wasn't his tenant, but apparently no one saw past that.

"Why do you keep calling me that, I have a name" Naruto asked as a light frown marred his features. He felt the urge to pummel this old coot right here; however he knew that would not end well for him. Not with all these drones practically radiating hostility in a sense that it made the word meaningless surrounding him.

"To me names don't matter, only our cause. You are a Jinchuriki and a Jinchuriki is defined by their Bijuu and you are the Kyubi that you house, a weapon that can harness the power of the beast if taught properly and is used to serve and protects its village in times of war. That is your cause, the sole reason for your existence" The man said without missing a beat, his unyielding gaze still focused on the blond before him.

Naruto chuckled lightly, however his laugh was lost on his face as it was set in a frown, ""So that is what I am huh, some kind of puppet" his bangs were shadowing his face as he spoke in a low voice "I guess I really will never be seen as a human being for every day I live and breathe but I guess it doesn't matter…**that pathetic village can go burn in hell for all I care**." Raising his head, Danzo's eyes widened lightly as he was met with Blood red rippled eyes. The pupil was slit-like and the blonde's whisker marks had thickened "**Well sorry to disappoint you Old man but you won't be taking me back alive**" the blonde's voice had deepened, his tenant's chakra leaking into his system as he subconsciously drew on it.

Danzo merely frowned at that, he could feel the power bubbling beneath the surface within the boy. Those eyes meant he was drawing on the Kyubi's Chakra. How he could effortlessly do it, he didn't know but assumed it could be because of his emotions. He would have to take care of the Kyubi before Hiruzen or his ANBU could arrive. And with the way things were going, he would have to subdue the boy before the large spike of Chakra alerted everyone to where they were.

Closing his eyes as if in thought he spoke "Very well then" with that, without any command the platoon of ANBU shot off toward Naruto at speeds he struggled to trace.

The first man brought his sword down in a slash to incapacitate the blond who rolled, barely, out the way of the incoming strike. Immediately as he stood up he was met with a rough punch to the face which sent him tumbling a few feet away however he managed to right himself skidding to a stop. Just as his momentum subsided, two hands emerged from the ground, grabbing him by his legs and preventing him from moving out of the way as another Porcelain-masked ANBU proceeded to punch the blond mercilessly. Naruto's cries of pain were paid no heed as the man grabbed him by his throat, and threw him into the hard bark of the tree behind him.

He snapped his head upwards and looked on as more came toward him, he searched his mind for things he could do however he was not afforded any moment of respite as he was roughly kicked in the face, followed by another kick to his mid-section which sent him sailing away due to the force behind the kick.

Coming to another harsh collision with the tree, he stood up slowly, shaking off the grogginess before, without thought, he charged the nearest ANBU with surprising speed. Riding on his instinct he launched a rocketing fist at the man, which the man couldn't block.

Naruto's clawed fist buried itself in the man's face with a harsh and loud impact, simultaneously the man's mask shattered, and his neck twisted and snapped loud enough for Danzo to hear, from the force of the somewhat uneducated yet extremely powerful punch.

The Anbu immediately fell to the ground with unfocused lifeless eyes. Naruto's eyes widened and his body went rigid as his gaze met that of the falling ANBU's only to see a look of disbelief and a terrified expression etched on his wide eyes, almost as if he couldn't believe his own death.

A death at the hands of an academy student...

The man's body hit the hard earth with a hard plop. A guilty expression entered Naruto's eyes as he saw the man's figure unmoving with his neck mangled in a sick display. He gazed at Danzo to see the man seemingly unaffected emotionally by the death of the man.

The adrenaline was still coursing through his body but the blond felt a bit light-headed as he thought of another person he had killed, unlike the first one; this one Naruto witnessed the grim process of their death, saw as all life disappeared from his eyes while he gazed at him with a look of abject horror. The blond came to one conclusion as he looked at the prone figure of the man.

Death was an unpleasant experience and the man had died in the most painful way possible all due to him.

He was so unfocused and lost in his shock that he failed to see the ROOT ANBU creeping behind him before he was in roughly kicked in his back and another ROOT ANBU appeared before him, kneeing him in the stomach, causing him to fall down on one knee, blood escaping from his lips as he descended into a coughing fit.

Another hard kick caught him in the back of his head with a loud impact; causing more globs of blood erupted from his lips furiously.

His eyes were slightly disorientated as his vision swam. Two firm hands snaked across his backs before he was held him by the arms from behind as one of Danzo's minions held him in a tight head lock.

With the blond incapacitated Danzo began walking toward him with calm deliberate footsteps.

The man continued sauntering toward his disabled target, his hand going to the bandage covering his eye which he discarded in one pull, revealing a red-eye with three whirling tomoe in it, swirling in a circle around the pupil as if in some form of twisted excitement.

The Sharingan…

**Mindscape**

From its cage the Kyubi growled deeply.

That accursed eye again…

It had been quiet during Naruto's skirmish with the ANBU, wondering whether it should help the boy or not in his fight or simply let him die so it could have its freedom, however the Kyubi knew that meant it would have to die too. An idea the legendary and immortal Bijuu wasn't all too comfortable with even if he would reform years later. It would wound its pride more than anything else.

'**He is going to try to cast a Genjutsu over the both of us'**

The Bijuu was just about to speak when it felt it. An intense surge of power that was all building up within the blond in preparation for something, clustering and circulating within the blond and threatening to spill over if not released in one massive pulse of destruction. The Chakra output was immense and somewhat unstable and was by all means, terrifying!

Even the legendary Bijuu found itself marvelling at the level of power coming off its container; it had been long since it had felt such a strong Chakra, such great a spiritual presence. It would have not fazed the Bijuu if it was normal human Chakra; however this was simply the power of the Rinnegan. And although Kyubi would never admit it to the boy, he knew this was the power of a god and it was incredible.

The Bijuu closed its crimson coloured eyes in preparation for something breathtakingly incredible.

* * *

**(Konoha Gates)**

"What was that?" a young dark black-haired Chunin, with a white strip cloth across his face and spiky black hair exclaimed from within a small booth as he looked curiously at the direction of the village's outskirts.

The other young man sitting next to him with cards in his hand looked at him with a questioning look "Huh, what are you talking about Kotetsu?"

"You mean you didn't feel it?" The other man this one with dark brown hair, with his head covered in a hitai-ate worn like bandana kept looking at him as if he was crazy, sighing he continued "I could have sworn I felt the ground shake just now"

"Don't be ridiculous man, if the ground was 'shaking' I'm sure i would feel it as well, you're not trying to use this as an opportunity to skip out on your duties and slack off are you?" seeing that the other man was completely serious, he continued "You know that you like to exaggerate things anyway. So I'm sure it's nothing, maybe just a bunch of Genin brats playing with explosive tags"

Sighing he nodded, _'this gate guard duty must be driving me insane'_, "Yeah I guess you're right man"

The other wore a smug expression at that, "Of course I'm always right" he said causing the Kotetsu to glare at him as he laughed lightly.

"Argh, just shut up and play you idiot" Izumo just laughed harder at his friend.

However what the two didn't know was how right the other man had been.

Danzo was literally giddy and glowing with excitement as he calmly walked toward the 'Kyubi'.

After so long, he would have the 'Kyubi' and Sarutobi won't even notice he has him right under his nose the whole time, the man was always ignorant and soft.

_'No, I can't be captured here'_ Naruto thought in worry, still held in the ANBU's steely grip, he felt powerless and that sense of desperation hit him again. That desire for something, anything to help him overloaded his senses and a great burning feeling travelled to his eyes making him squint them in pain.

With each step he took, the closer he got to realising his dream, the closer he got to his peace.

Naruto could feel as that cold feeling swept through his being, welling up inside him, and rising up, this time in greater amounts like some unrestrained tidal wave. His eyes were in pain and he felt as if his head was about to explode. The ground beneath him cracked and small rocks picked up and lifted into the air before falling back down.

Yes now he had his weapon, his imperfect weapon which needed to be sharpened meticulously and turned into a true demon of war, a conqueror of nations. This time nothing would take it away from him. Nothing at all.

The man was so enraptured in his feeling of victory that he felt to notice the small gusts of air blowing debris around the blond. As he finally reached Naruto, Danzo reached with his arm to the boy. However two things happened.

One Naruto's eyes snapped open and then….

All around the forest a blinding white light exploded into existence as without warning, an intense form of gravitational outburst exploded from the young blond like a violent tempest of raging water.

It swept everything away like some force of unequalled proportion, levelling the land and completely obliterating the entire surrounding forest and sending Danzo and his men flying like rockets out of a shuttle.

It continued on for a few seconds, causing intense shudders in the earth that travelled all the way back to the village.

* * *

Sarutobi, having recovered from his shock was in his office on the large tower on the Hokage monument. The elders had dismissed the council in his stead

A large stack of paperwork was sitting on his table untouched. He was standing near the window, his gaze lost as he looked toward the outskirts of the village with a look of concern and worry.

It had been ten minutes since he had sent Kakashi's ANBU squad to scour everywhere in search of Naruto and he was patiently waiting for their return.

He still couldn't believe his favourite blond had decided to leave the village; Naruto was the last person he expected to ever leave the village. The only possible candidate for that place was Sasuke; the boy was psychologically damaged and was obsessed with amassing power to kill his brother. Sometimes the old Hokage wondered why Itachi went to such lengths when in the end it might destroy the boy in the long run, but it was what the young Uchiha had done and it might prove to be his greatest mistake yet.

The countless sleepless nights where the boy couldn't sleep as he trained himself to the brink of exhaustion were proof of that. In a way Naruto leaving the village was understandable, after all who wouldn't trade a place that was hell to them for a place where they could have happiness?

A person like Danzo maybe?

But still that didn't quell the guilt on his consciousness, the fact that he could have given Naruto happiness yet couldn't weighed deeply on his consciousness. Now that Naruto had finally had enough, he realized how much he had failed the boy, he was the Hokage, yet he yielded to the demands of the council who took advantage of his softness and love for the village to make the boy's life miserable. What had he been thinking, that if Naruto went on about his life that they would see him as anything beyond the Kyubi he Contained? That if he worked hard enough he could prove his worth and earn the respect of the people?

He was the one who had imparted those ideals into the boy and now he cursed himself for it.

His heart felt heavy because of that.

He was broken from his musings when he felt an intense spike of Chakra.

Naruto's Chakra.

He focused on it, and his eyes widened when he felt the potency of the Chakra, it put even his to shame and the incredible thing was that it was all Naruto's and he wasn't channeling the Kyubi's Chakra. He briefly wondered why Naruto could be drawing on such potent Chakra; however he didn't have to wonder anymore as a deep force exploded in the outskirts of the village.

He looked on as a large section of the forest and large chunks of debris piled up on top of another were pulsated away by some powerful invisible force, the forest was being swept away like some pile of large dirt.

From a single look, Sarutobi knew that this was another gravity Jutsu Naruto had performed, however the level he had performed it at was terrifying. He knew that if the young blond ever mastered those eyes he could destroy a village with that attack.

Wasting no time and with speed beyond his age, the old Hokage ran out of his office toward his surrogate grandson.

He only hoped he could get there in time, if not for Naruto's safety but for the village's, if one of those attacks was sent in the direction of the village, then…

Well you could guess the result of that.

* * *

A deep crater the size of a compound remained all around, the only place remaining untouched being where the blond had stood.

Silence followed as nothing moved.

Nothing of the forest remained; it was completely wiped out from Konoha, only a bare crater remaining where the lush green and all living things within it once resided.

The serene moment was ended when the young blond responsible for all this coughed out loudly. He was lying in the crater had created, panting harshly. His clothing was tattered in a few places, and some blood dripped down his lips. He looked extremely pale and his eyes were drooping slightly.

Naruto grimaced as he felt an intense stabbing sensation in his chest. Whatever it is he had done there had taken a lot out of him. He found it difficult to speak or move even the smallest parts of his body, all he just wanted to do was go to sleep but he couldn't as he still had to get away before anyone came to investigate what had just happened.

He willed his body to move but it simply refused to obey his orders. After struggling for a few more seconds, he gave up with a resigned sigh and just lay there staring at the large clouds of smoke and dust caused by his attack which floated above him freely. He couldn't believe he had worked so hard to escape and now here he was, undone by his own exhaustion and unwillingly waiting for Konoha to take him back.

Stupid…

He berated himself with a sigh. Any further thought he might have had was cut off when he felt something hot flow down his depleted pathways, filling him with energy yet again.

His eyebrow rose delicately in disbelief as he knew the cause of this, letting himself be drawn into the mindscape, he appeared before the Kyubi, looking at the gargantuan creäture with his very same confused expression " You're helping me, why?"

The Kyubi huffed in a feigned expression of annoyance as it gazed with a look of disinterest at its container, its single eye open, "**Because we had a 'deal', did we not Ningen**?"

"Yeah but the deal was to help me escape from the village, you have already done that, now why this?" he asked his confusion clearly displayed on his face for the giant Bijuu to see.

"**Consider it a gift for taking care of that Sharingan scum, but do not think this makes us anything Ningen. It is simply a one-time thing and as soon as we are far away from here, I will try to take control of you and devour you**" the Kyubi dismissed with a huff, glaring intimidatingly at the tiny blond at the end of its statement..

Naruto sweatdropped, how could anyone switch between being nice and throwing death threats like that? Seriously the Kyubi had large personality disorder issues. Shrugging his shoulders, the blond merely smiled as he responded, "Yeah, I like you better that way anyway" his gaze took on a serious expression, "how long will this last, can it get me far away enough?"

"**Yes, so get moving Ningen. I can feel those snivelling Konoha Ningen coming this way, along with the old monkey**"

"Got it" the blond responded before he shot off with an incredible display of speed. He was a blur to the ordinary eye as he ran like a man possessed.

The blond himself was amazed by how fast he ran, and was what was more incredible was that he wasn't sprinting like the ANBU he often saw in the village but simply running. He couldn't marvel at his skill for long as he had to put on more speed, his feet digging into the ground with every step, and blowing dirt away from the speed he travelled in.

He had done it. He had escaped from Konoha and that was what mattered to him most at this very moment.

And with that Naruto Uzumaki left Konoha without looking back, in pursuit of happiness not knowing of the dangers that lurked waiting for him out there.

* * *

**A short chapter but I'm still trying to develop the story at this stage.**

**I also want to address some few things. Naruto hates Konoha, but it doesn't mean that he will be destroying the village or anything. At some point in the story he will become slightly cold because of some circumstances but he will not be going Obito either.**

**He will not join Akatsuki or another village to spite anyone, seriously I don't like bashing anyone because I'm angry or dislike at the character. That's petty.**

**Anyway remember tomorrow we have another update.**

**So please R&R**


	4. Meeting New Friends and Family

Disclaimer: Although I would terribly like to, i don't own Naruto, yet.

**A/N: Guys I'm kinda sad that the story received so many views, favs and follows yet very few reviews but I could just chalk that up to the fact that I'm not doing well enough and try to improve so I hope this chapter shows some small improvement…**

**He walked to the stage with precise and swift movements, all eyes were on him as he grabbed the mic before he cleared his throat "ladies and gentleman, I the disturbed immortal present the third chapter of 'the one who saw hell', so hold onto your seats because you are about to be blown away**.**" He finished his eyes burning with wild flames as he looked at the audience. **

"…**. "** **multiple sweatdrops.**

"**Seriously it's not a joke."**

"…**. " **

**(sigh) you guys a have no appreciation** **for good humour. Anyway on** **with the story"**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Meeting New friends** **and family**

'My god….' Hatake Kakashi thought in disbelief as he gazed at the reshaped and bare landscape.

His other team member in a squad of five, a woman with purple hair in a cat mask vocalised her thoughts unlike the silver haired ANBU with a shocked "What…happened here?" it sounded more like a question that didn't require an answer but the ANBU Captain still answered.

"I don't know, the only thing I could compare this sort of destruction to is a natural disaster" he said offhandedly however you could tell he wasn't trying to make a joke by the look of his eyes from behind his mask. The others nodded knowing what the man meant by the statement, they themselves were rendered speechless when they saw the condition of the area.

It looked as if it had been swept bare by some hand of a Greek god in a spurt of rage. What had once been a blooming and blossoming lush green forest was now merely a gigantic crater, the rubble that had collected had formed some sort of mountain of rubble in the area. It was so huge they all had no doubts that it was visible all the way back from the village.

Kakashi simply couldn't believe that his sensei's son was capable of doing such a thing; the kid had practically erased the western section forest of the village. Even the Kyubi would whistle proudly at this level of destruction.

The area had literally been turned upside down and it would take several decades without the Shodaime Hokage to restore the area back to what it was, and even with Tenzo's help the man would only manage to restore small portions of the forest since he wasn't as skilled in Mokuton as the original wielder of the bloodline was.

This area of Konoha would remain scarred for some years, it would be a reminder of the young blond village pariah who had left the village his parents had sacrificed their lives and his happiness to protect. He wondered what could seriously have pushed the boy to use such a technique and it made him wonder what more the blond could do if pushed hard enough.

One thing was for certain in the young ANBU's mind, whatever technique was used here, he hoped to never be a victim of such a technique.

He felt a tug on his leg and looked behind to see one of his Ninken Pakkun pulling on his leg. The dog was short in stature, had brown fur and dark brown snout and ears and wore a Konoha forehead protector on one of its legs and some sort of blue scarf around its neck. "You find anything Pakkun?" he asked the short canine which had a lazy look plastered on its somewhat puppy looking face.

Shaking its head in the negative it responded in a very deep and gruff voice, "**No he is long gone by now. Although his trail is still fresh, even if we did chase after him we wouldn't catch him. He was running extremely fast, too fast for a child and he was doing it with the help of the Kyubi's Chakra**" the silver haired man didn't appear all that surprised by the statement but that could be because he knew the blond haired boy could use the Bijuu's chakra ever since that when he killed night Mizuki.

"In which direction Pakkun?" the silver haired man asked gravely.

The small canine sighed in response, knowing the man might not like the answer "**Mizu no kumi I would presume and considering the speed he was going at he could get there in a week if he keeps it up**"

Although he could not see it, the canine knew the man was frowning intensely from the tense posture he was exuding.

"Thanks Pakkun, you can go now" the dog only nodded before a puff of smoke later it disappeared.

Kakashi turned to look at the direction in which the blond in question had taken off in with a wistful expression, in deep thought '_This is bad, last I heard that area of the world was embroiled in a war, I only hope someone wards him off from going there'_ turning to look at the sight before him again he sighed '_Hoping is all we can do right now_' he though sadly to himself.

He turned around and scanned the area with his Sharingan; he immediately noted that there was no sign of life in the bare landscape, after all what could possibly survive this sort of destruction. He shook his head to free himself from his thoughts and continued scanning the area around him. After a couple of minutes of looking without finding anything he was just about to give up to conserve his Chakra but something caught his eye that made him halt his current line of thought. He focused on it and his eye widened as he saw a body, No, bodies under the mountainous pile of rock and rubble.

He motioned over to his teammates who followed as they approaching the first body. They all stopped before it and Kakashi looked at it critically and only one thought came to his mind, 'This guy was fucked up pretty badly'. Kakashi could have sworn he heard a cry of 'Such Unyouthful words my rival' at his words in the horizon but he just choked it up to be his imagination or the scene getting to him.

He returned his attention to the body below him. It was unrecognisable; it was twisted in a sickly way and when he prodded it with a foot, it bent in a disturbing manner as if all the bones in it had been turned into milkshake, the force of the technique must have been severe to have done this.

"Taichou, loot at this" one of his squad members, one with short brown hair and almond shaped eyes, wearing a cat mask with red and green markings pointed toward a small white shard lying on the ground.

He looked at where the man was pointing to see a discarded and shattered mask on the ground, picking up a small piece he spoke "This is from an ANBU mask and I know that no ANBU team besides ours was assigned to this Mission, which means…" he crushed the small piece within the palm of his hand "This has Danzo written all over it…"

Tenzo nodded at the man's statement "He must have used the distraction brought by the Hokage's panic attack to seize Naruto secretly for his ROOT operations" Tenzo concluded and their other teammates looked at them in disbelief.

"Is he really that bad Taichou?" the young purple headed woman could not understand how an elder of the village could be so heartless as to attack and try to abduct a child and brave enough as to go against the Hokage without fear of execution. She had heard the man was cold and would do everything, even repulsing acts to ensure that he gets what he want all in the excuse that it would be good for Konoha, but never this.

Kakashi looked at the woman with an eye that showed how serious he was "Trust me Yugao; he is not someone you would want to get involved with. _We_ have had the misfortune of being in league with him and let's just say if not Hokage-sama I would be dead by now"

Kakashi sighed; he just hoped the Hokage would take care of the man this time, unlike the time when he had let him off for trying to assassinate him. After all every time the man got involved things spiralled out of control.

With every passing day the old War-hawk got impatient, time was after all every ambitious man's enemy and who knew what else the man would do when he finally became desperate enough, certainly something like this albeit on an extremely higher level.

He somehow couldn't believe the man had the gall to do this right under the Hokage's nose. The man had pushed the wrong button this time for give or take he would be executed for his treason, Sarutobi was extremely protective when it came to Naruto after all.

With a sigh Kakashi looked at the rest of his team, "Alright team, let's split up and look for any more clues before we rendezvous back to the village in an hour's time, we need to give a report back to Hokage-sama that the mission was a failure"

"There will be no need for that Kakashi-kun" a new voice interjected. They all turned to look toward where the new voice came from to see the Hokage coming toward them with Raidu Namiashi and Genma Shinranui.

Genma and Raidu's eyes widened to dinner plates proportions when they saw the condition of the area that once was a forest, it looked like desert, and then their jaws hit the floor when they saw the massive mountain of rubble before them. 'T-this is unbelievable, and they say a kid did this? I feel so insignificant as a ninja just looking at this' Genma thought, still gaping like a fish.

They were brought out of their shocked state by the voices of Kakashi and his team as they addressed the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama" The silver haired young man and his team uttered out in unison before they all bowed.

Shaking his head the elder man spoke "Please Kakashi-kun, everyone, get up" the Hokage's voice was low and solemn and he looked extremely pale and aged more than he was.

"Did you manage to find him?" he asked the silver haired man who was still bowing despite his statement.

The silver haired man and his team both shook their heads "No Hokage-sama, he was long gone when we got here. Pakkun says he was heading in the direction of water country and could possibly wind up near Kirigakure or any of the small Coastal villages near Mizu no kuni"

"I see. I suppose Naruto-kun is now well out of our grasp. We will return to the village, I shall have Jiraiya look for him" he said softly, his hands entwined and folded behind his back in his favourite Hokage posture.

The young man nodded, understanding that Jiraiya had a greater chance of finding the boy. After a moment of silence the young man spoke.

"So he really is gone huh" Kakashi sighed out tiredly as he finally stood up, he knew it wasn't the best thing to say but he just felt better saying it because it was just unbelievable to think about.

"Yes, I just pray to kami for his safety and for Minato and Kushina to watch over him wherever he may go"

"Yeah, the village will be somewhat quiet without him"

The old Hokage smiled sadly "Yes it will, indeed it will"

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi said as his voice took on business like tone, his eyes hardening slightly "The battle that took place here was between Naruto and members of the ROOT faction. We identified a corpse with an ANBU tattoo over by that area under the rubble; I have reason to believe Danzo wanted to abduct Naruto for his ROOT operations without your knowledge and seized the opportunity presented by your panic attack"

The Hokage remained impassive at that, the narrowing of his eyes the only indication he gave in acknowledgement to the statement, "Is that so. So he wasn't fighting your team?" he asked with an extremely calm voice, but Kakashi knew the man was extremely angry, he was just masking it.

The young man nodded.

"Do not worry Kakashi, I will see to it that Danzo is taken care of and punished accordingly, the last time I let him off was because I was his target, but this time, he went directly under my nose and not only that tried to abduct the son of a Hokage and compromised the safety of an innocent boy." Turning to look at the mountain with the four faces of the Hokage on the horizon he continued "Danzo has stepped on the legacy of my predecessors for the last time" with that said the man known as the professor swivelled on the balls of his feet and walked back toward the village.

Kakashi looked at the members of his squad, "Tenzo, create some clones to carry the corpses to the T&I Division, I'm sure Yamanaka Inoichi will gather something out of them" with that said they followed the Hokage. The silver haired ANBU knew one thing was certain; Danzo Shimura was going to reap what he sow tenfold.

He had stepped on the Hokage's toes one too many times, and this time was the final straw.

* * *

Sarutobi stared at Danzo who sat opposite of him on a large tatami mat, he had had various cuts and bruises on his form, and he was staring back with well-practised impassiveness but the Hokage could pick out some hints of nervousness in his eyes.

The air was grim with tension and it was so thick that it was almost palpable.

Danzo's uneasiness was like an open book for the Hokage, the Hokage was just glaring at the other man impassively and the other man was uncomfortable under the stare even though he hid it well.

Danzo couldn't remember the last time someone or Hiruzen for that matter had made him feel this way, this uneasy. It was a feeling he did not like at all, it reminded him of how he would always be inferior to Hiruzen. He could not read the other man's emotions as his face was set in an impassive expression that would have made the second Hokage proud.

Sarutobi couldn't believe it had finally come to this, he had always knew Danzo's extremist ways would be his downfall however he had never thought the man who had once been his best friend would fall so far.

So here they were now, and the Hokage knew he couldn't afford to have another Orochimaru scenario here. Danzo had gone against him at his own risk and he would have to take responsibility for his actions. There would be no remorse this time, he had to deal with Danzo strictly and harshly and set an example that he would not allow any traitors in the village.

In a way Danzo had always been right, his passive and pacifistic ways had made him soft and made him susceptible to take advantage of, but it still did not mean that Danzo had to go against him in this matter. The case involving Naruto was not village threatening, it was just Danzo's greedy desire to have more power and that would be his downfall tonight. He would make an example of the man to all that he would not stand for treachery in his village.

It was time to show who was the Hokage, and he was the Hokage not the council.

"Danzo, you do not know how extremely repulsed and disgusted I am by what you have done, you have gone too far this time" the Hokage said as he looked at the other man who sitting opposite of him.

The man knew lying was out of the question. He had to play his cards right here if he was to get out of this. "I did no wrong Hiruzen; I merely tried to secure and stop the village's Jinchuriki from escaping and return him to Konoha" he said emotionlessly hoping the Hokage would buy his lie.

Sarutobi did not seem at all moved by the statement, his eyes closed as he spoke "At whose permission I ask? Did the Hokage order you to?" he asked as he glared at the other man whose poker face recoiled a bit at the question.

When the man did not answer Sarutobi continued, "There is only one Hokage in this village Danzo and you are not him, you will not do as you please anymore and furthermore you still ran ROOT despite my order to disband it. You have disobeyed me one too many times Danzo" the Hokage said sternly keeping his hard and stern glare on the other man who was now visibly nervous.

Danzo remembered when they had been at the very same situation after the Uchiha massacre, and how angered the man had been by his actions. This time he knew that it would be hard to escape the Shinobi no kami's wrath.

"But Hiruzen-" the Hokage silenced the man with a raise of his hand.

"There will be no buts Danzo, this the second time in the span of a year we have this conversation. You remember the last time we had this conversation? It was on the night after the Uchiha massacre and I told you I would not tolerate your acting on your authority." The Hokage stood up from the mat, glaring intensely at the black haired cripple, "Yet you still went and did this, this time you touched a sore subject Danzo and I will not show you any mercy"

He took a deep breath of air before he spoke again "Danzo, for your numerous treacherous acts against the village and the Hokage, you shall be executed two days from now. ANBU" Various ANBU appeared inside the office. All of them to subdue the war-hawk should he attempt anything. Danzo's eyes widened at that, but they quickly turned grim "You will accept your punishment with honour and dignity. Do you have anything to say?" the Hokage asked as he looked down at the other man who was still seated.

Danzo stood up, before a smile broke on his face "Yes, it is not my time yet. I am sorry that it had to come to this Hiruzen but one day you will see things my way" he said before in a blink of an eye, several bodies fell down as six of the ANBU took out Katanas and stabbed the others. They moved near the elder and grabbed on to the old War-hawk.

"ROOT? What is going on here?" The Hokage asked fiercely with a glare at the other man.

Danzo looked at his one-time friend with a glare, "You thought you could protect the boy from me, but can not. He will be mine. He will embrace his destiny and become a true Jinchuriki, he will be ROOT. Take care of the village Hiruzen, I shall return one day."

"This time to be Hokage" he said before he was pulled away by his Root ANBU as they leaped out of the Building.

"Damn you, Danzo. ANBU…ANBU" He called and not long Tenzo and Kakashi came bursting into his office.

"What is the matter Hokage-sama?" Tenzo asked the Hokage whose fist was clenched tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Kakashi, Tenzo, Gather a squad of elite Jonin and ANBU immediately, Danzo is trying to defect from the village. I want you to stop him at all costs. He is going after Naruto"

"Hai" both men nodded, understanding the graveness of the situation before they disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

The Hokage felt a bit lightheaded for moment as worry and fear for Naruto racked his being for a second time. Sitting down on his chair, he rubbed at his forehead with a sigh 'Danzo, just what monster have you become?'

* * *

(Two Days Later)

Naruto's eyes snapped open and he shot up from the bed where he was sleeping on, breathing and sweating heavily with his shirt clinging to him due to how soaked it was.

He looked around in panic and the first thing he noticed was that he was in a room but he didn't recognise it. Did that mean he was caught? Had Danzo managed to catch him? Looking at the stiches on his body, he wondered when he got them, he remembered that he had been attacked by a group of bandits when he had collapsed due to exhaustion and hunger after two days of constant running.

He frowned lightly at the memories; he wondered how he ended up in this place because it seemed way too comfortable to be any place to place a prisoner but figured he couldn't get his answers by snuggling in bed.

He was immediately put on guard as the door to the room he was held 'captive' in squeaked lightly before it swung open and in walked a young girl probably two or three years older than him. She had silky light brown hair and pale, milky skin with warm beautiful forest green eyes that captivated with a sense of mystery to them.

Seeing he was awake the young girl smiled a beautiful smile as she gazed at his direction, "Oh you're awake. That is good, how do you feel? We had found you passed out near the river in the forest near our home. It seemed you had lost quite a lot of blood and suffered from exhaustion and hunger as well" she explained as she came near him, before looking at the now blood stained shirt and bandages that were covering his body. "I should probably change those, look at how bloody they are, I can't believe you lost so much blood yet you are still alive. Just how much blood do you have?"

Ignoring the girls rambling Naruto asked the first question that came to mind, "Where am i?"

"Oh you are in Namishu, it is a small village near the coast of Nami no Kuni"

"Are you the one who found me?"

"No you were found by Higure-oji, he brought you here, which is very strange since he doesn't usually like bringing strangers here, especially those from Ninja villages. My name is Hotaru by the way" the girl said absentmindedly as she worked on unwrapping the bandages covering the blond.

"So you know where I am from?" the girl nodded her head with a bright 'Yep'. "Then you must know that it is not safe for me to be here and for you as well, thank you for everything but I must leave now"

The blond moved away from the girl and tore his bandages, drawing a protest from the brown haired girl however no soon after the bandages were fully removed she gasped in shock at what she saw.

The boy who had been knocking on death's door when her grandfather brought him the previous night, with numerous bone, and muscle fractures and having lost quite a lot of blood, far too much for a human, was seemingly standing there without so much as a scar to show he was critically injured on his being the day before.

She brought her hand to her chest trying to stem the shock she felt and another to her mouth to prevent herself from squealing like a fangirl at the blonde's strange fast healing "But…but how?" she asked as she moved closer to the blond, running and tracing a hand gently on his unblemished skin, failing to notice the small shiver Naruto gave when she touched him.

Her doctor instincts kicked in. She knew all about herbs and Medical Ninjutsu, and she knew how they can speed up the healing process but this was insane. The blond before had been critically injured but here he was all healed without the help of any Jutsu.

Just a good rest and he seemed raring to go.

As she continued examining this strange 'human', she caught the obvious discomfort he felt with her touching him like this "You're not comfortable with this are you?" She asked sheepishly with a blush, looking at his piercing purple rippled eyes which widened at the question before they became solemn and slightly downcast.

"Yeah, I'm just not used to this sort of things" he said before he moved away from her, much to her disappointment, toward the night stand "And I heal fast that's all" Naruto exclaimed in answer to her previous question as he put on his torn white, which looked brown now shirt, discarding the one he was wearing which he assumed had been put on him when he arrived here.

"Indeed you do young man" any further conversation was broken apart when a new slightly gruff old voice entered the fray snapping the attention of the two to the owner.

There at the door entrance stood an elderly man probably in his seventies if Naruto had to guess. He had light or faded red hair which went to his back tied in a long ponytail, sharp purple eyes and a pale but fair complexion. His body was firm and his stance was that of someone who had trained harshly for years, he was clad in a grey coloured Kimono that went to his legs, with white a shirt underneath and Japanese styled magenta sandals with white socks. He had a kindly look to him, however his eyes were what caught Naruto's undivided attention, they were eyes of someone who a rather dark, sad past and one who harboured a great deal of regret.

"Hello young Uzumaki-kun my name is Higure" the older man said as he offered his hand, introducing himself to the young blond who shook his hand.

The young girl's breath hitched at that, "Uzumaki? You mean to tell me that he is…" the older man nodded cutting her off from finishing her statement.

Naruto looked at them with a confused expression, before something clicked about the man's statement.

"You know who I am?" The man nodded, "How?"

"It would be a shame if I couldn't recognise one of my clansmen wouldn't it?" he said casually deciding to tell the blond the truth.

Naruto's eyes widened at that "You mean you are from the Uzumaki clan?" when the man nodded Naruto's face gleamed with hope and happiness, "But how, I thought they were all killed"

"Yes but a few of us escaped and we are now scattered all over the world, it saddens me to see what has become of our once proud clan but the world is a cruel place and our clan fell to that cruelty" the man finished bitterly.

Naruto saw the bitterness etched across the man's face and could understand how he felt. He sort of reminded him of that Sasuke kid from Konoha "Thank you Higure-san but I have to leave now, it is dangerous for me to be here and I don't want to intrude" he said as he thought about what would happen when they discovered his 'condition', he didn't want to leave but he knew that if he stayed he would only be pushing his luck.

They would learn about the Kyubi and they would hate him, and the blond would rather leave than suffer the pain and heartbreak of having a relative hate him.

The gleam that had been in his eyes had all but disappeared now.

"Where will you go then young man?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I…don't know, I guess I haven't thought about it yet" the young blond said quietly slightly downcast.

"Then you can stay here, what kind of man would I be if I let you roam this dangerous world by yourself. Considering your 'condition' you would be hunted like a trophy by many villages for what you contain. No you must stay here with family, it would be safer" the man didn't miss the widening of the young blonde's and the way his body tensed when he mentioned the word 'condition'. He inwardly sighed sadly; he had figured the reason for the young boy running away from Konoha village.

Although Naruto didn't want to show it, his jaw was snapped tight and his fist was clenched tightly, not in anger but rather disbelief. He couldn't believe that the man was so accepting of his status as a Jinchuriki, regardless of the dangers it posed and what was amazing was that the man had only just met him.

It made him even angrier at Konoha, if a stranger, even though they were family could accept him after only meeting him regardless of his status, then why the people of couldn't Konoha do the same after 8 years.

"A-are you…are you sure about that" the blond said softly, trying to hide the tremor in his voice as he felt the urge to cry.

The only response he got to his question were wide welcoming smile from both Higure and Hotaru.

Yes he didn't regret his decision to leave Konoha at all.

For the first time ever in his life, Naruto Uzumaki smiled a true, heartfelt smile.

He was home at last.

* * *

In a large dark room, several coloured projections flashed into life, showing silhouettes nine of various individuals.

They were all transparent, making it harder to see what they looked like. The only distinguishable and visible feature were their eyes, and the ones which attracted the most attention were the ripple-like patterned eyes, with light purple sclera and irises.

"Heh, it's been a while since we gathered like this, I wonder what this is about" a deep, gruff voice spoke from one of the projections.

One with rippled purple eyes spoke in a voice that commanded attention and the utmost respect, "We have a new member. His name is Itachi Uchiha, missing nin from the village hidden in the leaves" he said and one of the projections' eyes opened to reveal blood red eyes with three tomoe around the pupil.

"So he is the Kid who massacred his whole clan huh?" another deep, slightly muffled voice sounded out.

"Yeah, he looks like someone who could give me a good fight. Samehada agrees that he is worthy opponent as well"

"Yes however he shall partnered to you Orochimaru since the two are from the same village, they will work well together" the leader said and Orochimaru was glad for the jutsu making them indistinguishable or else everyone would see the large, predatory grin on his face.

His slit snake-like golden eyes gleamed excitedly. '_Uchiha Itachi eh_'

"Things are starting to move huh, so when will we start collecting the Bijuu. I'm itching with excitement for a good fight"

"For now we will continue gathering resources and funds to help our cause. We will begin that part in a few years' time. You can return to all your assignment, you are all dismissed" the leader said and all the spectral projections disappeared.

Only the spectral projection of the leader remained as he was caught in deep thought.

'The time to put forth a plan that would change the world forever is etching closer. Soon the Bijuu will be collected and merged to form the greatest weapon to ever live and then….'

'The world shall know pain'

* * *

**Another chapter done and dusted.**

**Higure and Hotaru are OC'S who will have a great impact on Naruto's life. And as established, Higure is of the Uzumaki clan. All will be revealed as the story progresses.**

**So please R&R...**


	5. An Offer of Apprenticeship

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO DAMMIT! AHHHHHH, CAMEHAMEHAH YOU FUCKING LAWYERS.**

**OOPS I just swore, my bad (Giggle)**

**Sorry for the long update, but I have been busy with some exam prep stuff. I hardly like making excuses and almost never give any but that is the case and I have also been working on this little side project of mine that will be revealed soon. so here is the fourth chapter of a story I am enjoying writing so far, hope you enjoy reading as well.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: An Offer of Apprenticeship  
**

Naruto walked calmly amidst the lush greenery of the large forest surrounding Higure's house.

It had been a week now since he had begun living with the elder Uzumaki and Hotaru whom he had discovered to be an orphan the other man had taken in.

He did not understand the circumstances that led to the beautiful brown-head becoming an orphan, but from the little he had seen just from Higure speaking about it and how grave her eyes had been, he knew it wasn't very pleasant and definitely something the brown haired girl felt uncomfortable discussing. He couldn't blame her though, he also did not feel comfortable opening up about his past in Konoha as well, but hoped that one day they could trust each other enough to share their experiences and pasts with each other.

He snapped himself out of his thoughts when he finally arrived at his destination. Before him was a large, spacious clearing that could be utilised for numerous activities and the blond immediately knew that it would be appropriate for what he had in mind.

Letting out a long calm exhale of breath, the blond spread his legs slightly as he settled into a comfortable fighting stance. He looked at a giant boulder in front of him and decided it would be his obstacle. Ever since he had arrived at Namishu, he had been thinking about this quite a lot and had been meaning to test it as soon as he got the time and a safe place to practice.

The blond was intrigued by the Rinnegan, he wished to see if the 'Shinra Tensei' as he discovered was the name of the Jutsu, whether it was the only technique he could use that were bestowed upon him by the Rinnegan. Since he had no one to teach him, and with the Kyubi refusing to help him, he had only himself and his experience to work with.

He took an intake of breath to compose himself and slowly lifted his hand, pointing it directly in the position of the boulder. His eyes closed as he took more and quick intakes of breath and releasing it just as quick in a manner similar to a breathing exercise. He could feel as his Chakra welled up inside him, it was violent and untamed but he could reign it in with sheer willpower alone. A thin sphere of blue Chakra gathered around him, collecting and revolving around him in small wisps and blowing debris gently away.

Naruto felt like he was in heaven, every time he summoned his Chakra it always made him feel peaceful and relaxed. The feeling it brought was fulfilling and warm and intoxicatingly harmonious, he felt as if he was connected to his soul, searching his very being to the unknown depths of its core for answers and to understand oneself. He could understand what the Kyubi meant when he said the sage wished to unite people through Chakra, it made a lot of sense right now but he still did not understand it all the same. He concentrated on his chakra, kneading and shaping it, guiding it to where he desired.

Finally feeling that he had gathered enough, his eyes snapped open and he brought his hand up and released his Chakra in one massive burst "Shinra Tensei" he said sternly. The effect was simultaneous, the large boulder he had been aiming at was blown to shrapnel, obliterated to dust by the intense gravitational pressure and force. However the boulder was not the only thing that was blown away, the blond was blown away as well however not in a manner too harshly. He righted himself to stop before he could collide with a tree not a long distance behind him.

Getting up he looked at the crater-like trench across the ground where the boulder had been blown away from, he looked on with a look of disbelief but soon turned the attention to himself and frowned lightly.

He had been planning to simply blow the boulder only, not everything else as well and not only that he had also blown himself away as well. He sighed inwardly, how could such a badass Jutsu like this be so troublesome, he literally had access to an incredible technique that he could not use when he wanted but only when he needed it. But then that mean he would only have to work harder to master this technique, but first he needed to figure out the mechanisms behind it.

He was brought out of his musings when he sensed someone approaching his position. He tensed lightly in preparation for anything but relaxed immediately when he saw it was Higure who was in his usual attire, however today he was wearing black ninja sandals.

Naruto looked at the older man with a quirked eyebrow "Is there a problem Higure-oji?" the blond asked his fellow clansmen who only shook his head in the negative with a wide smile on his face.

"No there is no problem Naruto, although you shouldn't train without supervision for someone your age. I just wish to let you know that I wish to take you as an apprentice. I would like to teach you everything I know, you are the next generation and hold the fate of the Uzumaki in your hands. It was by god's will that you left Konoha, he must have a purpose for you that you must fulfil and I wish to make you efficient enough in succeeding" the older man said causing the blonde's eyes to widen in surprise.

"You want…to teach me?"

"Of course, although I will not be of much hep to you regarding the abilities those eyes of yours granted you, I can teach you about our clan's skills, Nature transformation and how to control your chakra better."

"Nature Transformation?" the blond asked confusion aligning his features.

"Yes, have you not heard of it before?" the younger blond just shook his head negatively with an embarrassed expression on his face. The older man sighed at that, 'Just exactly what have those people in Konoha done your son?' "It is the ability to use and covert or turn your chakra into one of the five basic five elements that exist out there by manipulating its inner properties and turning its characteristics into that of a specific Nature. Those natures are Katon, Suiton, Futon, Doton, and Raiton respectively and once you have mastered these you can use techniques of each element with excellent precision."

"So is it possible to be able to use all five elements" the blond asked the redhead elder Uzumaki.

The man looked at the blond as he answered "No" he said simply and the blond immediately deflated at those words "For normal people it is an impossible ability for you have to be affiliated to all elements but….." Naruto's head snapped to look at the elder man at that "For you, well it won't be an issue. Those eyes you have enable you to use all five without problem, but first you have to train to master each individual element"

He pulled put a small slab of paper and handed it to the blond, who looked at it confusedly "It is a chakra paper. You channel chakra into it and it should prove whether or not you can use all five elements as I have theorised. If fire, it will ignite and turn to ash, if wind it will split cleanly in half, if earth, it will crumble and turn to dust, if water it will soak and dampen and if lightning it will crinkle. If you do possess all five, I don't know what would happen but I'd imagine that it will be a sight to behold, now…"

With a nod and a look of concentration entering his eye, Naruto channelled chakra into the paper immediately after doing so he looked on in amazement as it split into two pieces which split again to make four pieces making Higure's eyes widen in shock, however it did not end there as one piece caught onto fire, while another wrinkled, and the last two wetted and turned to dust respectively.

'_That was rather peculiar, although he does possess all five elements_, _it seems that wind is the dominant one while the_ _others are balanced equally. This is absolutely incredible_, _it is unheard and unfathomable_ _of anyone to awaken the ability to use elemental nature chakra at_ _such an age, just what exactly are you Naruto_?' Higure mused to himself with a faraway look in his eyes.

The blond looked at the elder man who had been quiet for a while as he spoke "So does that mean that I have all five elements?" he asked curiously.

When the elder man nodded, Naruto smiled widely and pumped his fist into the air. He felt the urge to jump for joy knowing he would literally be able to throw cool fireballs and thunderbolts around like there was no tomorrow.

Higure watched the young blond smile widely and excitedly with a small sad smile of his own that the blond failed to see. He wondered why Naruto's smile seemed to affect him so much, why he remind him so much of her? The one who he had failed.

He continued musing on his thoughts as he suddenly remembered a conversation he had with Hotaru back a few days ago after Naruto's arrival.

* * *

**(Flashback-2 days ago, three days after Naruto's** **arrival)**

Hotaru glanced at Higure who had a faraway look on his face as he stood on the balcony of their house, his gaze looked to be focused on something but she had no idea what it was. Moving toward him, she looked down at what he was looking at only to see him staring at Naruto who was staring off into space as well, a wistful look on his face although she could not see it well.

"Are you alright Higure-oji san?" the girl asked with a concern filled voice as she looked at the only person she considered family in the world.

"Yes I am fine Hotaru-chan" with a smile he continued, "I have decided to apprentice Naruto to myself, do you agree with the notion?" he asked the girl who looked at him quizzically.

"Why would I object, it is your decision in the end but I do wonder why you are going to such extreme lengths for him?" she asked simply whilst looking at the man.

He frowned a little at that before he spoke "I do not know myself, but my heart is just telling me that I need to train this boy. That I owe it to him somehow, and beside that there are also personal reasons involved in this. My relationship with Naruto is far more intricate than I'd like to believe"

"What do you mean by that?" she asked confusedly.

He just shook his head at that as he smiled "Oh no it is nothing you should be worried about, old age must really be catching up to me. Don't mind this old man's blabbering" he said dismissively with a smile causing Hotaru's eyes to narrow in suspicion.

With a nod and a sigh, her hands went to her hips as she spoke "Alright I guess, anyway I made lunch. You should call Naruto now, he has been out there for a while now, and he will catch a cold or something" she said in a typical concerned mother voice.

With a chuckle Higure stepped away from the balcony and went down the stairs to call his fellow Uzumaki clansman in the meanwhile shaking his head at her antics.

(**End of Flashback**)

* * *

Shaking himself out of his thoughts he motioned for Naruto who returned his attention to the other man as he spoke once more "I will train you to the best of my ability over these next few years, it will be gruesome and challenging and I will not go easy on you. I am a master of two elements which I am affiliated to, Suiton and Raiton, but I can also use Futon Ninjutsu proficiently. I will get you a few scrolls to use for Doton and Katon."

"So do you accept the offer Uzumaki Naruto?" the man asked the younger blond, not wanting to simply demand things off of him without giving him a choice. The boy had already gone through the most part of his life having his fate decided for and held in the hands of other people.

Naruto remained silent for a while mulling the question over. He appreciated the elder man for giving him the choice of whether he wanted to be his apprentice or not without simply making one for him. He was going to accept Higure's offer either way but the fact that he deemed it fit to ask if he wanted to or not just made it all the more greater, the man had done so much for him without asking for anything in return. With a grin on his face the blond responded to the other man. "Yeah I accept"

Higure smiled widely at that "Alright then. Now here is what we will do, i will begin with Suiton and I expect you to master it in no time since it is the easiest to master out of all the five, during your spare time we will work on getting you proficient in reading and calligraphy in order to help you when we finally begin your Fuinjutsu training. In the mornings we will focus on Taijutsu training and the afternoon will be on Nature transformation. Are you ready for this?" he said looking at Naruto to see if he understood him or had any objections to what he was saying.

"Hai sensei"

"Good, you have to understand that I will not always be around to protect you and Hotaru which is why I am training you right now, it is not just to grant you power to protect yourself but those who are family to you" he said with a serious yet somewhat faraway tone.

Although he frowned at the man's tone he still nodded his head "I understand sensei"

"Good, now concerning the Rinnegan. I believe that like other Dojutsu and Kekkei Genkai although it isn't one itself, it responds to you when you experience emotions of deep and great anguish, desperation or despair and its Chakra momentarily flows through into you allowing you to access one of its abilities like the Sharingan does. The only way to bring about it is to put you in dangerous scenarios, however that will have to wait until we have trained you enough in your other skills" he said, his hand stroking his cheek sagely as he was settled in a thinking posture.

Naruto's eyes widened at the redheaded elder man's words. The man was like some sort of psychic to him. He always seemed to know these type of things, he knew he was right about the Rinnegan's abilities manifesting when one was thrown into dangerous and life-threatening situations. The man never seized to amaze the blond with his theories and observations about certain things that interested him enough for him to entertain the notion of looking into them.

It was like he was some kind of all-knowing deity of sorts.

Shaking his mind out of the gutter the blond responded "Yeah, the same thing happened to me, but the problem is that I can't control it when it does happen. I just seemingly blow everything into the next dimension"

"Well we shall see what we do as time goes by, but for now I just want to teach you not to rely on those eyes too much. They may be a blessing and give you ungodly power but they will make you grow arrogant of your skills and overconfident, you should learn to be versatile and unpredictable alright" he said looking at his apprentice with a small smile on his face.

"Hai sensei I understand" he replied back with a beaming smile of his own.

"Good now, let's go have something to eat. Tomorrow we begin your training"

The blond nodded as the two began walking back to their house. The sun was already setting, painting the sky a glow of orange and setting the scene between the two Uzumaki up for an excellent Grandfather-Grandson picture as they laughed back on their way back to the house, sharing jokes and making short banter.

One thing was clear, things were going to start moving very soon.

* * *

Sarutobi sat behind his large desk, his pipe in his hand to help him keep calm as he finished reading the report team Ro and the rest of the Jonin contingent had just delivered regarding their mission to retrieve Danzo Shimura.

Again the old Hokage could feel the beginnings of a rather big headache as he thought put the scroll down on the table. Bringing his head to rub at his temple he could not help but keep thin king about one thing.

The mission had been a failure.

Now the most notorious warmonger ever to grace the Elemental nations was out there, now not bound by the village and free to do as he pleased all in the name of Konoha as he often excused himself or his actions. This time his target was something even greater, the Kyubi Jinchuriki, Naruto.

There were so many details about that which worried the Hokage. He knew should Danzo get his hands on Naruto, it would not be long before he threw the world into war yet again in his desire to conquer the five great nations but more than that he knew that Naruto would be lost forever if the man managed to warp and twist his beliefs into those of his ROOT and foundation division.

He could not let that happen, he had to find Naruto as soon as he could, for should he not and Danzo were to succeed, it was highly likely they would have the second coming of Madara Uchiha in their hands. Only this time, Naruto had power that would make Madara seem like a child playing with a couple of matchsticks.

The Rinnegan.

If Danzo were to find out and realised the truth about the eyes Naruto possessed, the Hokage feared what would happen. Would Danzo take Naruto's eyes like he did Shisui and then kill him? What the Rinnegan could do far outweighed and outmatched what the Bijuu could do after all. The man always had a penchant for getting rid of what he deemed unworthy and what he deemed too great a risk to be kept around. So would he do the same thing he did Shisui to Naruto?

The elder man did not want to think on that for too long, for now he had made arrangements to find the blond before his former friend would.

He was brought out of his musings however when a booming voice spoke from behind him, "You look old sensei" the voice said somewhat bemusedly.

With a hearty chuckle, the first one he had to shed since Naruto had left he responded "Well, time hasn't been all that kind to me and certain events have left me aged beyond my years as well, Jiraiya"

The man stepped away from the window to reveal a tall man of waist length spiky white hair, two large bangs framing each side of his face which had two lines running down it from his eyes, he wore a green kimono with a red haori over it and traditional geta sandals. Overall the man radiated an aura of youthfulness and mischief, however if one looked enough they could see the hard and serious look buried deep within his eyes.

With a wave of his hand Jiraiya spoke "Yeah well anyway, what did you call me here for?" he asked casually as he plopped down on a seat.

Entwining his fingers in a poker face posture Hiruzen began "Well you see Jiraiya, we have a problem. A week ago, your godson Naruto ran away from the village"

Silence reigned for a few seconds as the white haired man processed what he had just heard. He blinked a few times before adopting a casual posture "Come on, don't screw around sensei, why di you really call me here"

"I believe I just told you Jiraiya-kun, Minato and Kushina's boy ran away from the village and I need you to find him as soon as possible"

"Wait but why would he do that, what drove him to even do such a thing?" the man asked curiously as he stared at his sensei his face asking for answers.

Sarutobi sighed knowing this was not going to be pretty "One week ago, Naruto was attacked and nearly killed by a horde of angry civilians for reasons not known to me or anyone." He began causing Jiraya's eyes to widen and then narrow in anger "During that time, Naruto awakened the Rinnegan and killed a Chunin who had gotten involved in the affair" Jiraiya simply could not believe what he had just heard, Rinnegan? Minato's boy? "After that he collapsed and Kakashi brought him to me. The next morning when we spoke it appeared that he had learned of the Kyubi and despises not only the village but Minato as well."

"So you are telling me that the only family I may have left, an eight year old boy at that is roaming the corners of this unsafe, vile and corrupted world, and not only that but has the Rinnegan as well?" the man asked with a saddened but slightly angry look.

Standing up and walking toward the nearest window he continued "Yes But that is not where the gist of the problem lies, you see Jiraiya after killing Mizuki, many civilians and council members sanctioned for Naruto to be executed, however Danzo tried to use this to his advantage to get them to support his decision of having Naruto be handed over to his care, although I refused the notion, he still found his opportunity when an ANBU came to the office announcing that Naruto had escaped the village. The news shocked me so hard that I had a panic attack and Danzo used the opportunity granted by that to seize Naruto for himself. Well the results of his actions have led us to this situation, I was to have him executed for that however he had anticipated this and escaped the village and now he is going after Naruto. Which is why I am begging you Jiraiya to please bring Naruto back before it is too late, I am sure you understand the gravity of this situation by now"

Jiraiya remained quiet as he digested the news, he was shocked, angry and saddened at the life Naruto had endured and the terrible pain he must have suffered in Konoha. When he thought about how Danzo hoped to add more misery to the boy's life he became enraged. What's more was the fact that Naruto had the Rinnegan, eyes he had thought he would never see or hear of since Nagato, his late former student. Was this something in the prophecy, was Naruto the one?

He didn't know but he would find out.

"Yeah, Danzo isn't the only thing we should be worried about right now. there are far greater threats assembling out there" the man said seriously, a large frown marring his features.

"What do you mean Jiraiya-kun?" the Hokage asked confused by his statement but knowing enough about him to see how serious he was.

"We'll speak about it when i get back" he said to the other man as he stood up from the chair he was sitting on and began moving toward the door.

"Don't worry sensei, I promise nothing will happen to Minato's boy" he said to the elder man who nodded in relief and understanding.

_'Not while i am still around'_ he thought as he exited the office oddly enough using a door this time.

He would not fail anyone this time, he would not fail Naruto anymore.

* * *

**Next chapter will be about Naruto's training. i will also show some of his interaction with Hotaru, but it won't be long before we have a timeskip (4 years). possibly perhaps in the sixth or seventh chapter and from there the action will unfold with a vengeance.**

**If you have any questions please pm me, i am open to anything, even jutsu theories since in this story i will be employing a lot of my own jutsu theories and HM techniques. **

**Thanks for reading. **


	6. The Training Begins

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, so I will just continue owning this fanfiction.**

**A/N: Heya people, it's the immortal here back with the fifth chapter of the story. I have to admit I feel very glad to see that so many people enjoy this story and I am sorry for keeping you waiting long without updating but that little 'annoyance' (Ahem….Exams) I talked about, is keeping my hands tied but luckily I will be finishing soon and I will dedicate most of my time to updating the story. **

**Someone in their review asked me what my update interval was and well, truth be told, I am not sure, but i prefer updating chapters two or three days apart (If I'm not busy). My advice to authors out there is that it is best to at least try to write two chapters in the few days leading up to your update, it helps since you can then have the time to analyse and review the other one before posting it. Now moving on, there is an issue which amuses me greatly, most people in their reviews have been asking when Naruto will meet Shion (and have babies XD:), But I would like to point out; **

**-That one; both are still eight at this stage,**

**-Two; Naruto is living with Higure and Hotaru and thus, will not be travelling to wind country or anywhere for that matter, he has no reason to leave. **

**At this point I'm still trying to build up events leading up to when Naruto will start travelling. I appreciate some of you guys taking your time to point out some flaws and PMing me with some suggestions regarding the story; it really helps a lot and is much more preferable than 'flaming'. I don't disregard critique but sometimes instead of criticising someone's work in the form of 'burning them with Amaterasu flames', please (and I say please) consider both the + pos and – neg, in the end it is you who feels bad at the end of the day.**

**As I said, I'm open for enquiries regarding the story and any suggestions.**

* * *

** Chapter 5: The Training Begins  
**

* * *

Blood. It was everywhere; the stench smell invaded his nostrils with a vengeance and ferocity of a god of war. It was everywhere, a dark crimson unlike any other, splashed across the ground and flowing in small rivulets.

The water from the sea surrounding the area was stained a dark red in colour, the same as that of his clan members' hair colour, almost as if mocking them.

A lone redheaded man stood amidst all this, his eyes were wide with shock and Horror for the sight before him was blood-curdling. His head tilted this way and that as he looked for anything remaining of his now former home. Countless bodies lay sprawled across the ground, some were sinking into the waters which raged on as they swirled in great whirling tides of destruction.

It made for a Horrifying sight considering the water glinted and swirled ominously as if trying to rid itself of the stench life force that stained it to its very core and retain its pure, serene oceanic blue form.

The silence was deafening and the enemy had left, having accomplished their objective, they saw no reason to stay and wait for their victims' allies to arrive.

And all they had left were ruins and death.

The sight would surely have the Shinigami licking his terrifying lips in giddiness.

Falling to his knees weakly as more tears fell from his face, the redhead let out a shrill scream of pain, his voice echoing through the desolate and smoking area. He was broken, and alone. Everything that he ever had, everyone whom he had fought with, loved, shared laughs and pain with were all gone, and he had not been there when it happened.

He could almost feel all their voices calling out to him, all of them in pain, calling for him to come and save them but he had not come. Now all he arrived to was this, death, destruction, pain and to the sight of the aftermath of a mass genocide.

He was in pain, but it paled in comparison to the unbearable guilt he felt.

The loss of all that ever belonged to you or your possessions was painful, but the loss of all your whole clan was in many ways akin to unendurable. The fact that he could have done something to help just further added to the expanding spiral of guilt racking and tearing apart his heart. He was hailed as the strongest of his clan even by their standards; he was seen as being exceptional, a genius; however that didn't matter to him right now. Where had he, the genius been when his clan was laid to waste? He was rumoured as being undefeated on his turf, this turf, a turf which now had been scarred with the destruction of one of the greatest clans in history.

His eyes were bloodshot red, warm tears still cascaded down his face like a burst dam. After all how can one man witness all this and still retain even a shimmer of their sanity. His family, relatives, love all were brutally killed by these monsters and for what? Because of some unfound rumour that his people were a threat to the five great nations? What can a couple of redheaded idiots wielding ink and brushes do that would warrant this type of injustice, this atrocious act against human nature?

Was this the true extent of low humanity has fallen?

Innocent women and children killed for naught simply because some madmen were paranoid enough to believe that a tranquil nation of peace posed a threat to them, simply because of what they could do with a brush and ink.

These poor souls didn't deserve what had been dealt them. They had done nothing wrong.

His breath hitched as he heard a cough from underneath a large slab of stone. Getting up, he ran toward where the noise had come from.

He stopped upon seeing who it was, and more tears simply flowed from his eyes. Before him was a redheaded woman who lay in her own pool of blood, her beautiful lily-white now kimono the same colour as her hair. She was pale and her eyes were closed.

"N-no…Y-yuma" the man said as he crouched down, and with great strength gently lifted the stone off of her prone figure "Yuma, Yuma, no…please no" he pleaded as he rubbed his forehead against hers hoping by some miracle it will wake her up.

Weakly stirring, she only managed to open her eyes and looked at him, before a weak melancholic smile broke on her face "Y-you're h-here…i…glad" she whispered out weakly, her sentences breaking "I-im s-sor-ry…th-e…baby-" he shook his head furiously to stop her from continuing.

"No don't worry about it, we are going to make it out of here okay, I promise" he said as he looked at her the river of tears still refusing to subside in its flow.

Bringing her bloody hand, she cupped his cheek gently using all the energy she could muster "N-no, i…w-ill n-nnot m-make it" smiling sadly with great effort, she looked at his bloodshot violet purple eyes with her own "P-lease…t-take….c-care of…our daughter, Hi-" She didn't finish her statement as she released one final breath and her hand slackened, dropping from his face.

All was quiet for a few seconds, the only noise coming from the soft sobs made by the redhead man "No, no Yuma, please forgive me…..YUMAAAAAAA" another loud scream came from the man's lips as he shouted at the heavens above.

Higure shot up from his bed, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. His hand was clenched over his heart, a pained expression clearly etched on his wrinkled face. The nightmares had returned yet again for the first time in a long time.

With a sigh, realising he couldn't sleep he slipped off his bed, opening the door to his room, he exited and walked aimlessly. He walked for a few more seconds without any true thought of where he was going or where his feet were taking him. Eventually he found himself standing before the room he had given Naruto to use as his. He didn't know what possessed him to come here but he did.

Opening the door slightly he peeked his head in to see the blond sleeping peacefully, and for some reason seeing him like this brought a strange sense of peace to the elder redhead. Smiling lightly he closed the door to the room, and began the trek back to his own. His troubles forgotten for a moment.

'_Who would have thought? That you would be my saviour'_

* * *

Higure and Naruto stood before the large river in dense forest in the background of their home. The way they held themselves showed clearly enough that the two were preparing to do something and from the clothing they wore.

They were dressed in similar black outfits with baggy hollowed sleeves which bore the red spiral symbol for the Uzumaki clan on both shoulders; they wore similar black ANBU pants, and black sandals. The difference between them was that Higure wore blue samurai-like armour over his outfit while Naruto did not.

"Naruto-kun, the road you have chosen to follow is not an easy one and will on many occasions leave you questioning yourself. You must know that, Training to be a ninja is essentially training yourself to become a killer. I hope you understand that before we begin so that should you have any second thoughts, you can back away." Looking at the blond he was met with a look of deep resolve and blinked in surprise at that, he expected at least to see some doubt on the boy's face but there was none. He reminded himself that this boy had killed before, Naruto had confided in him after experiencing some sleepless nights in the past few days due to seeing nightmares.

"No I have to do this. It is the only way I will be able to protect you and Hotaru-san" he exclaimed with fierce determination burning in his eyes.

Smiling proudly at his clansmen's resolve, he continued "We ninja are seen as nothing more than tools to be used by the village for the village's protection. There are some villages which are far more extreme going as far as to say the mission precedes over the life of the ninja. There are some villages like Konoha that believe in comradeship and looking out for another but still they are not exceptions to the harsh truth of our profession, we kill and nothing can excuse that. All human life is valuable but sometimes we must do what is necessary to protect those we love, even at the cost of our own innocence. We are consoled by this simple fact."

"I must confess that once I discovered your situation, I felt tempted right there and then to turn you into a weapon and destroy the greatest cause of my pain and that of the Uzumaki clan, however that would only serve to plunge this already darkened world into deep abyss and at the same time, it wouldn't be right"

Naruto's eyes widened at that, those were the exact same words Danzo had said to him when he left the village. He could understand where the man came from, he would never know the pain of losing family but he knew that it would be painful for him to lose Higure and Hotaru right now.

He looked towards the elder man as he continued "The truth you will need to learn about humanity Naruto is that we are a hateful species, we have defiled and polluted the very life-force used to unite us and turned it into a weapon so destructive that it makes Kami weep for our kind in pity. We live for strife and our thirst for more power is insatiable, the more we accumulate the hungrier and greedier we get. Humanity will never change, but it doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to change the world while we can. Which is why I believe that those eyes you possess are our ancestor's way to atone for his mistakes, you have been sent here to purge this vile and unkind creature. Humanity is like a restless child, what needs to happen is for the cause of that restlessness to be taken away and we will calm down significantly"

"You mean the chakra?" Naruto asked in shock, having listened to the man enough to make a connection as to what he was saying.

"You will have to find that out for yourself, however even so, that doesn't mean that it will be the end of it all. Humanity will still find new and creative ways to sate their curiosity." Chuckling lightly, he shook his head, "We will not stop until we have completely destroyed ourselves"

Snapping himself out of his monologue and looking at the blond he motioned to the river before them "I'm sorry if that conversation unsettled you, it wasn't my intention." stepping atop the water and motioning for Naruto who did the same he began "Now before we begin, I want you to know that it is imperative to understand the mechanisms of the element of which you use, in order to know the weaknesses and advantages it provides you that you can exploit for yourself" he said, looking at the blond nodded concurring with the man's logic.

"Water, as you know it, surrounds us. It is found in both the underground and on the surface, however it also exist in the air as well in the form of water molecules, it can be found in trees, and has several other forms such as fog, mist, hail and snow"

"Now using Suiton Ninjutsu gives you access to various supplies or resources for your techniques and a wide variety of uses as well. Water techniques can serve for both offensive and defensive purposes, by creating a wall of water to shield yourself and or a wave to deal destructive effects to your enemies. There are three ways in which you can utilise for Suiton Ninjutsu, the first is by manipulating already existing water around you, by using rivers, snow, fog, mist and puddles as a source for your techniques" as he said this, he moved a few feet away from Naruto and taking calm steps on the water as if it were solid ground. He stopped and clasped his hands together, the river's water around him reverberated slightly before swirling around him in a circle and then shortly after exploded outward from him, further shocking and causing Naruto to flinch slightly as some of the drops from the water fell on him.

"Do you now have a solid grasp of this step?" the old Uzumaki asked, ignoring the few beads of sweat trailing down his face. The blond nodded dumbly , still in awe at the man's skill,

Cracking a small, rare smile "Good, it will be easier for you to do since you can see Chakra flow. Now for the second step, this one involves moulding and converting the nature of your Chakra into Suiton Chakra and then water within your body" after that he held a single hand seal and his chest bulged and a small water current shot from his lips.

Naruto once more saw as the Chakra mingled and surged up in the man's body. This time, unlike the last time, in which he saturated the water with his chakra by pulsating it through his feet, the Chakra seemed to become calm and loosen and it flowed tranquilly within the man's body from the his core and then was expelled from his lips in the form of water.

"Now the third step is the hardest of all. It involves creating water Ninjutsu out of nothing from areas without a prevalent water source, drawing it out of the air itself from molecules and sometimes by forcing it out of objects which contain it. However it is a skill that although may sound simple at hearing, is extremely unnatural and difficult to achieve. In all the years it has only been accomplished and used by one man. Even I can't do it."

Naruto became curious at that. A delicate blond eyebrow raised, he wondered out loud who this man was as he asked his question "So who was this guy?"

When Higure's eyes turned grave, Naruto mentally berated himself, thinking he had offended the redheaded man. He was surprised when he spoke though "He was Senju Tobirama, you may know him as Konoha's Nidaime Hokage. With this skill he became a legend, he could flood an area from nothing and could create lakes in moments. He was akin to a god of water while his brother ruled over the forest. They were anomalies of nature those two" he finished with a far-off look in his eyes.

Looking back at Naruto, he could see the astonished expression on his face, he couldn't blame him though but he knew they had to get started.

"Now while you may never be able to use this skill or manipulate water techniques with the same efficiency as the second Hokage, I can train you enough in it to make you a master of the element. While Tobirama may have been able to create rivers and form Suiton Ninjutsu out of nothing, there was a man who believed that if you gave a true Suiton master an endless supply of water, then they could destroy an entire village"

Naruto's breath hitched in shock at that, his eyes wide as saucers as he contemplated this obscene revelation. Was that possible? Could one truly be that strong at elemental manipulation?

It was very, very utterly unfathomable; such acts were ungodly and astonishingly ridiculous.

Bringing his head up to look at the elder man, he was surprised to see that his face held no regale in it, meaning he was serious as fuck.

Damn….

"You're not kidding?" the question came out as more of a statement, clearly depicting the disbelief the blond was supposedly feeling.

Higure nodded regardless "No I am not. Everything crumbles under the exertive force of water. Fire may burn, wind cut, shred and blow, earth reshape landscapes and lightning pierce and scorch, but water destroys. Water can overwhelm all the other elements, even ones stronger against it, except Raiton" Shuffling into his pocket, he pulled out four scrolls which he tossed toward the blond who caught them and looked back at him with a quirked eyebrow.

"Those are scrolls which contain information on how to train your element; I want you to read all of them. As I said, it will help you get in tune with the advantages and strengths of each element against another. They contain information for Katon, Futon, Doton and Raiton" Naruto smiled as he looked at the scrolls, too happy to be finally treated with some sense of normalcy regarding his studies and training to complain about the reading.

"But what about Suiton?" Naruto asked as he finally noticed that he had not mentioned the water element.

Offering a kindly smile "But I just explained to you everything about Suiton that you would find in the scroll I had, but once you finish reading those I will give it to you since the one I have contains a few high class Ninjutsu, unlike those other ones you have"

Seeing the blonde finally out of his daze he smiled "Alright now lad, it is time" with a nod, Naruto stowed the scrolls into his pocket.

Higure motioned for him to follow him and the two walked atop the water for a few metres before stopping at what appeared to be the middle of the river. "Now, place your palms on the water and focus your chakra." Doing as instructed, Naruto got on his knees atop the water and placed his outstretched palms atop the surface of the water and awaited further instruction. "Water is all about flow, same as the flow of the river beneath you, force and undeterred movement. To compete this exercise, you should distinguish between the five natures within you, choose the calmer and free-flowing one and then try to create a small wave of water using that chakra" giving a firm nod, Naruto concentrated on his task as he searched his chakra.

He was immediately met with varying feelings flowing within his being and coils, in the centre of his chakra core, his chakra felt hot as a blazing inferno, while another felt was soft, wet, but heavy, malleable and flowed very slowly compared to all the others, almost like mud, the other chakra was violent and felt sharp as a sword, while the fourth chakra sensations felt unstable and was fluctuating madly with cackles, the fifth and last chakra sensation felt calm, and it swirled within him in a relaxed manner. Although it was relaxed it felt extremely powerful as well, like it had no boundaries and went wherever it wanted.

Focusing specifically on the last one as it felt the same way as the water flowing under him, the blond channelled summoned it over the other four.

Higure watched with a critical eye as his student immersed all his effort into the exercise. The water around him reverberated slightly and rose up as if it was a tide subject to the moon's force of gravity before falling back into the water again. The water rose up again but once more fell back into the stream almost as if it lacked power, this continued on for several more minutes and Higure could see the blond becoming frustrated. He was surprised he hadn't already this far.

"Do not focus on form, but rather on giving it movement and strength and channel more chakra into it." The blond nodded his hands still squinted in deep concentration as he looked to incorporate the new instruction from his Sensei.

The water around him swelled up once more and a swooshing sound a rushing sound could be heard, causing Naruto to open his eyes in curiosity and look on as the water circulated around the blond in a circular wave. Naruto looked toward Higure who shook his head and mouthed "You aren't done yet, send it toward that rock protruding in the water"

Higure was surprised to see the blond get the exercise in one try, he had expected him to fail some more however the blond seemed truly determined, his following of instruction and keeping a cool head proving that. It seemed Naruto truly considered him and Hotaru family if he would go to such extreme lengths to train in order to be able to protect them, and truly speaking he also knew he wouldn't have it any other way.

He watched on as the wave of water collected in front of the blonde before he sent it careening away in a four feet tall small wave of water, further surprising the redhead. '_Extraordinary, the size of the wave is impressive, and to think it is only Suiton no Jutsu, I wonder what he will be able to do with the more destructive ones_'

Naruto watched as the small wave continued before hitting the large slab of rock and dissipating, a disappointed look came over his features at that.

"Wonderful" Higure said surprising Naruto greatly, "That was excellent Naruto-kun, to be able to do this exercise as fast as you did is impressive for someone your age. I'm proud of you" he said as he ruffled the blonde's hair with a warm smile

"Y-you are?" Naruto asked in surprise, while scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed smile on his face. He wasn't used to these acts of affection, and didn't know how to react when someone would compliment him, and with Higure he seemed to be faced with this strange awkwardness of always being surprised by the man whenever he would praise him for something, and thus the lack of a response one would give when complimented but rather one of surprise.

The feeling was alien to him but it felt darn good and now he just yearned for more.

Offering a warm proud smile the elderly man spoke "Of course, when a student does something good, it is the Sensei's duty to express their pride at them. Now let's go home and get something to eat alright" he said looking at the younger Uzumaki.

"Yeah, that sounds good" following with a large smile on his face the blond couldn't help but recite the word in his head.

'_Home'_

* * *

Naruto charged toward Higure, applying chakra to his feet to augment his speed as he had been told to so by the elder man. It was late in the afternoon and he was being trained in Taijutsu by the elder man. After having been asked to demonstrate his Taijutsu style by the man and gladly doing so, he had been told one emotionally deflating fact, it was terrible.

Now the old coot had decided to be 'unpredictable' as he also remarked his style was and teach him Taijutsu by beating the heck out of him. Normally this would have made anyone quit but Naruto didn't as he could see what the man was trying to do. He would correct his 'unpredictable' stances and movements mid-fight by slapping, punching or kicking them into an acceptable position.

Now he was bruised and battered, his clothes torn in several places and large beads of sweat rolling down his face testament to how tired he was.

Appearing before the redhead, Naruto threw a punch for the man's face which was blocked, following it up with a kick to the man's mid-section which was caught, leaving the blond open to an attack from the man who duly obliged and kicked the blond in the chest sending him sprawling away a bit.

"Don't leave yourself open to attack like that, and don't just charge in either. Look for your opponent's weak points and use the environment to your advantage as well, when you attack, try to predict your enemy's movements. You have a Dojutsu Naruto, put it to good use" he said seriousness etched in his voice.

Thinking on what the man was saying, Naruto attacked once more but this time, he came in flying at speeds Higure struggled to trace, bringing his fist for punch which the man barely blocked. Seeing an opening the blond sent a kick to the man's shoulder which connected and caused the redhead to stumble backwards slightly. Naruto then tried to follow it up with another kick to the man's face this time however Higure blocked it and was surprised to feel how much it stung.

Bringing in his own foot for a kick which Naruto dodged, before he jumped back and entered his stance.

Rubbing his sore hand, Higure smiled at Naruto. "Alright that's enough for now, but first tell me, how were you able to get increase your speed like that, not even Chakra can increase your speed that fast in such a short time. So how did you do it?"

Naruto smiled at the man as he plopped himself to the ground before smiling at the elder man "Well, when you said I should use my Dojutsu to good use. I thought for a second and then it suddenly clicked to me that no matter what I do I wouldn't be fast enough to land a blow on you, so I decided to make up for that by decreasing the gravity around me."

Higure smiled as he heard that, it was pure genius to think about something like that in the midst of battle. It showed how capable the blond was and how creative he could get when under pressure. "That was quiet clever of you Naruto, I'm proud of you. You are learning quicker than I thought" he said before ruffling the blonde's hair a bit with his smile still on his face.

Naruto beamed at the praise he had received, it was something which had been so rare throughout his entire life he thought, that he had forgotten how it felt to receive to be complimented. "Thanks Oji-sensei"

Higure chuckled at Naruto's new nickname for him. He realised that these days he had begun smiling and even giving a few chuckles a bit more than usual, even Hotaru had noticed and the girl was obviously happy.

Naruto's stomach growled loudly drawing both males' attention, Chuckling once more Higure spoke "Well, that is our signal that it is dinner time eh Naruto" blushing a furious red at that the blond looked at the ground embarrassingly.

Seeing the embarrassed look on the blonde's face, the redhead shook his head amusedly before "Well I believe we shouldn't keep that stomach of yours waiting now, should we?" starting the trek back to his house with an embarrassed Naruto following behind, cursing his rather monstrous appetite for embarrassing him like that.

* * *

Naruto yawned into his hand as he walked into the kitchen, clad in dark blue, red spiralled morning pyjamas. He walked down the stairs of the house from his room to the kitchen, his nose leading him the entire time toward where he smelled something mouth-watering in work.

Nearly bumping into someone as he finished his descent from the stairs "Oh hey morning Naruto-kun" he looked and saw Hotaru smiling at him with a bright smile on her face.

"Morning Hotaru-san" Naruto responded with a smile of his own, stretching his back like a tired lion.

Staring at the blond who had now become part of their small family, she sighed "You know you don't have to address me so formally, it makes me feel old"

"But you are old Hotaru-san" Naruto mumbled to himself quietly as he rubbed at his temples, his voice slightly muffled by the action.

"What did you just say?" she asked her eyes gaining a threatening glint to it as she looked at him with narrowed eyes.

Gulping nervously the blond, waved his hands defensively, "N-nothing, wow did you cook all this? It sure does smell nice" he said trying to ward the girl off topic and avoid the 'sweet' female's wrath.

Smiling proudly and bringing her hands up and planting them on her hips, the brunette girl gave a proud smirk "Of course, I happen to be the best cook there is mister"

Naruto moved to sit down on one of the stools, his disobedient stomach growling at the sight of the food. His hand moved to grasp one of the bowls to sate his titanic hunger.

Instantly like a hawk that had been stalking its prey's every movement, out of the corner of her eye, Hotaru saw Naruto's hand move toward one of the plates.

Naruto was literally salivating like a madman as he stared at the food dreamily, who could blame him really. The smell of the miso soup entranced him deeply, coupled with the steaming rice, Tamagoyaki, some grilled fish and deep fried tofu with prickles; the dish would have any man drooling like a dog on the salivation syndrome. Naruto felt as if the food was calling for him to take a bite and as he reached his hand across the table to help himself, a hand reached out and slapped his away with speed that surpassed that of a seasoned Ninja.

Looking up he saw that the owner was glaring at him intensely, a terrifying aura radiating off of her "Before we eat, we brush our teeth first mister. Didn't anybody teach you any manners?" she said as she levelled a disapproving glare at the blond whose expression went from terrified to downcast. Hotaru realised she had said something wrong, and she suddenly remembered he never had any parents, so it was impractical to think he would know proper manners and the true meanings of etiquette. Her expression saddened as her face took on a solemn look, "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I didn't mean it tha-"

The blond cut her off as he looked up at her "It's okay Hotaru-chan, don't worry about it, at least you were trying to help"

He was rewarded with a kindly smile for his statement as the girl beamed significantly, whether it was for his statement or his addressing her as 'Hotaru-chan', he didn't know but it made him happy to know that she wasn't saddened and possibly left feeling guilty for mentioning that subject.

"Good, now go upstairs and brush your teeth, the old coot will be downstairs in a few minutes. I can see he's been working you up a great deal" the eleven year old said as she went back to her pots.

Rising from the chair and moving toward the bathroom, the blond stopped and answered "Yeah, he doesn't go easy on me that's for sure" the blond said sarcastically, 'not going easy' could not compare to the torture the old man put him through.

He disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes before emerging out looking much more refreshed. Arriving at the table he found his sensei, part-time torturer at the tables well, conversing with the brunette.

Upon seeing him Higure flashed him a wide smile that was cheeky at best, "Good morning Naruto-kun"

Naruto just stared at him with a mild glare before he sat down and responded "Morning…now let's eat. I'm hungry"

"You're always hungry Naruto-kun. Where do you put all the food anyway" Hotaru teased the blond who glared at her as well.

Naruto just kept quiet and shuffled his food down greedily with a pout on his face.

Naruto Uzumaki didn't like being teased one bit.

* * *

**To those of you who were wondering how old Hotaru is….**

**Hotaru-Age 11 (I know there is a Hotaru in canon Naruto but i couldn't come up with other names and I just thought this one fits.) **

**Higure-Age 77 and still fresh as a daisy, you know the reason for that.**

**Naruto-Age 8 **

**Someone in their review asked me how Higure knew Naruto was an Uzumaki let alone a Jinchuriki. Well for the being Uzumaki, it will be revealed in one of the chapters but as for being a jinchuriki, remember Higure is the one who found Naruto inured, took him to his house and bandaged him up. So meaning he saw the seal since you all know it appears when Naruto gets injured. **

**The clues are….Higure is a Fuinjutsu master, one from Uzu at that; **

**Naruto is from Konoha; **

**The Kyubi disappeared eight years ago in the story AND;**

**Higure isn't stupid. **

**So Higure would be able to put two and two together and then get NINE. **

**Next update will be on Tuesday. On Monday I have an exam, but I guess it depends on whether the exam frustrates me or not, if it doesn't then we have an early update on our asses.**

**Please Read and Review; if you do I will give you a magical tooth.**

**I'm out, cheers.**


	7. A Training Cut Short, Enter The War-hawk

**Well you all know I don't own Naruto, so let's leave it at that.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: A Training cut short; Enter the Warhawk**

* * *

**Namishu**

Naruto dodged a punch to his face, before jumping over a kick to his mid-section from his opponent. His opponent rushed toward him once again, their long faded red hair billowing in the soft breeze.

Entering his stance once more he prepared to defend himself. His opponent threw a fist to his face which he dodged, following up on his attack with another kick to Naruto's gut which the blond blocked but was pushed backwards from the force of the kick, sticking to the surface of the water, the blond skidded atop the surface of the water, creating a small wave-ish path as he disturbed the serene waters. He came to stop as a loose wall of water rose from behind him and he smacked softly into it. Regaining his bearings he saw an axe kick descending toward him from his opponent and the blond rolled out of the way before attempting to take out his opponent's legs from under him with low kick to his opponent's legs which the man jumped over.

Charging towards his opponent, a wave-ish trail of water rushing behind, he engaged him in a bout of Taijutsu. The two were mere blurs to the naked eye as they clashed against one another, throwing punches and kicks in speeds that were impressive to look at. Naruto twisted his body in a 180 turning motion as he sent a roundhouse kick to his opponent which was blocked, before following it up with another long kick which connected with his opponent's chest, albeit with the metal armour covering them taking the brunt of the attack.

His opponent responded with a knee to the gut and a kick to the face of the blond which he blocked with both his arms. Leaping backwards to put some space between himself and his opponent, Naruto assessed the situation. Currently he and Higure were sparring atop the water and the blond was looking a little worse for wear. He was bruised, battered and starving but the latter could wait, the weights he was wearing didn't help either as they made it difficult for him to move faster and restricted him. He was panting harshly, a river of sweat flowing down his face showing the exercise was making him work up a sweat.

It had been five and a half months since his training with Higure had begun and it had only intensified by the day. With each day his redheaded Sensei would add a new obstacle or a crazy rule that would put him at a disadvantage or handicap him, like the one they were doing now for example.

The man had decided to add weights to his clothing and right now the blond was fighting not only the redhead but was fighting with every muscle fibre in his body to prevent himself from sinking into the cold water below him. This was another one of Higure's 'self-created' training exercises where he had to stand and spar atop the water while wearing 150 lbs weighted metal plates all over his body. Although it was troublesome, the effects and results of this particular exercise were extraordinary and astonishing and well worth the trouble. It not only improved his Chakra control significantly, but went a long way toward increasing his speed, endurance, strength and the blond himself was quite pleased with how far he had come from just the basics of physical training.

That though, didn't mean he neglected his studies, spiritual and cognitive training, no he read every book and scroll he could get his hands on to improve his grammar and vocabulary and Higure also dedicated some of his time toward teaching him calligraphy and the blond recognised that the efficiency, control, calamity and elegance that went into the art calmed him down significantly.

One of his primary goal was to find out more about the Uzumaki clan but there weren't many books or scrolls about the once great clan, it seemed the three nations which had attacked and destroyed the nation not only took their lives but paid special effort toward wiping out everything about them from the face of the earth. For now, many didn't have a clue that once a few decades ago the Uzumaki clan existed and the powers preferred it that way.

The little he had found was that the clan were heavy practitioners of the sealing arts and that the clan, almost the entirety of it were recognisable through their red hair, a characteristic he didn't have despite being told he was of the clan by both the Kyubi and Higure. It made him wonder sometimes why he had blond hair and not the traditional red, as the clan genetics books he read pointed out that in every pairing, even one where an Uzumaki had children with an outsider, almost all of them had red hair. Something to do with being the dominant gene or something, he couldn't remember quite well.

So what was it about his 'father' that was so special to overwhelm a potent gene as the Uzumaki's.

He looked toward the shore where currently Hotaru was seated, observing them battle it out intensely. The girl had taken to doing that a lot often lately where she would just sit there and watch him and the redhead spar intensely every day. Why she did it, the blond didn't know but he guessed it could be out of boredom or from a lack of things to do in the house. He sometimes wished she had some friends but at the same time the thought disturbed him slightly, it made him feel as if she would leave him alone if she ever did get any friends. The blond knew if the girl ever wanted to make any friends that she could do so, but since Namishu was basically a ghost town after it was abandoned several years ago following many bandit and Nuke-nin attacks on the small town, the idea was impossible.

He didn't know why but he had the feeling that the girl didn't easily trust anyone; even he wasn't sure where he stood with her. He knew it could be something to do with her past but he never questioned her on it. Despite all this, he had warmed up to the girl considerably, similar with Higure. The two meant a lot to him, and for someone like him, having their first taste of 'family', even and adopted one, the feeling was irreplaceable. He knew he would do anything to keep and protect them and thus the training.

He was somehow uncertain of what his current goal was, having lost his first if not well thought out goal and dream but for now he believed that Higure and Hotaru's safety was his prime goal and he would train his body to the brink of death to become strong, not for him but this feeling. For he never wished to be alone again. To feel hollow, lost and lonely.

He was snapped out of his daze as he heard a loud sound of rushing water, he noticed, albeit a bit too late, a large water ball soaring his way. It wasn't big enough to kill him but definitely big enough to hurt like a bitch. His wide eyes closed as he braced himself for the impact which came down on him like a ton of bricks. Smacking him loudly with so much force it drove him into the river like a pile-driver; he felt a hand grasp his before he could sink and pass out and looked toward the source to see Higure there with a smile on his face.

"You are improving, you managed to stay atop the water for four straight hours without falling in and drowning despite the increase in your weight I added earlier. Good work, but learn never to take your eyes of your opponent" he was proud of his student, in just five months Naruto had absorbed everything that he taught him like sponge and endured any torture he put him through without backing down or hesitating. The blond truly reminded him of himself when he was younger and of another fiery redhead whom he believed he had failed.

Grinning weakly with drooping eyes the blonde's head fell as he succumbed to the blissful call of unconsciousness.

Picking Naruto up and flinging him to his back to carry piggy back style, Higure walked back toward shore.

Finally stepping out of the river water he looked at Hotaru who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow "Was that really necessary?"

Chuckling at the brunette the man glanced at the sleeping blond "Well I believe so, he took his eyes of an opponent in a potential dangerous situation and besides I knocked him out because he was on his last breath. He would have simply asked to keep on going and I didn't want to test the limits of his stamina"

"Fine I guess, let's get him to the house so he can heal and get some rest before he annoys me about food when he wakes up" leading the way to the house with Higure following closely after. She looked back at the man who had changed somewhat dramatically since Naruto's arrival and saw the large smile on his face as he walked behind her 'I've never seen him happier, I guess you really did save him Naruto'

The elder Uzumaki gave a hearty chuckle at that "Well, things certainly seem livelier with him around don't they, perhaps i should give the two of you some time to get well acquainted with each other and just be children, Kami knows you both need it"

Hotaru huffed at that, not at all glad at being reminded she was still a youth; the expression on her face drew another heartfelt laugh out of the elder man. With a pout the girl looked away deciding that for now she would simply let him have his fun.

Glancing at the unconscious Naruto on the elder man's back, she couldn't help but notice how peaceful he seemed. Her lips twitched slightly as a small smile etched itself on her face, 'Yeah, I guess things are interesting once more again, just like that time' she thought to herself, a wistful look appearing on her face at the end of her statement.

* * *

**~~The next day~~**

(**Konoha-Hokage Tower**)

"Well. What have you been able to find?" the voice of Sarutobi resounded out as he turned to gaze at his white haired student, a pipe in his hand as he calmly took a drag of the contents of the tobacco.

Jiraiya sighed wearily "Nothing, I don't know why but it's like he just disappeared off the face of the planet, a few witnesses say they saw a blond haired boy matching his description last in a bandit camp near what was once the port town of Namishu, apparently he was abducted along with a few people but he escaped"

The elder man nodded somewhat reluctantly, as if he wanted to hear more but couldn't "This is troubling indeed and Danzo? What did you find about him and his Root?"

Jiraiya made his way toward the large window where rays of the sun peaked in into the building "Well they have been spotted numerously around the land of rice, why Danzo went there I don't know but I have a hunch Orochimaru may be the reason. It seems Orochimaru may have a hideout in that country" frowns marred the visage of both men at that statement.

Sarutobi set his pipe on the desk before him, looking at Jiraiya with a resigned look "Now what should I do? I cannot send men into another a foreign country without knowing whether out target is there or not" Drawing in a long sigh as he rubbed at his temples "But for now I believe that as long as Danzo can't find Naruto, then we have nothing to worry about. One thing I know for certain is that the fool will never ally himself with someone who would have intentions to destroy Konoha"

The white-haired man turned his eyes back to his sensei, a serious expression on his youthful face "Well then you're wrong, because a few months ago the Daimyo of Rice country and his whole family were killed and it seems an unknown assailant is vying for control of the country and they are militarizing it. It's becoming somewhat worrying"

Sarutobi frowned, his narrowed eyes glancing toward Jiraiya with a thoughtful expression "Do you believe Danzo and Orochimaru may be working together and are in on this?" his voice was calm, yet there was an underlying sense of weariness in it.

The white-haired Gama Sannin merely nodded "I believe so, for now we should be ready for anything. Anything involving Danzo is bad but when you have Orochimaru in as well then you have reason to worry greatly"

Sarutobi sighed and just nodded tiredly "Thank you for your help Jiraiya; I don't know what I would do without you. Who would've thought that out of all my students you would be the only one I would come to rely on?"

Jiraiya frowned, his facial features scrunching up slightly "That's because no one thought at all, everyone expects less from clan-less Shinobi and many believe they will never progress far as a Shinobi as compared to more talented and genius individuals from prestigious clans. However I proved that it's not the genetic makeup but the guts and the undying will to never give up that makes a true Shinobi and neither Orochimaru or Tsunade understand that and for a time you didn't either" there was a tinge of bitterness in the Sannin's voice that wasn't lost on his former sensei.

"Well I suppose you are right. Talented ninja are easier to teach but many never do understand what it means to be strong, even I was blind to that mere fact" the old man let a shamed smile spread over his features.

Jiraiya noticed the downcast mood surrounding the man, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. He also had his own guilt and shame to wallow in "Yeah, I better go now, I'll see you later" he headed toward the door.

The Hokage sighed sympathetically before he spoke "Regarding Naruto-kun, don't blame yourself Jiraiya. If there is anyone to blame it should be me, i-" he was cut off as the other man raised his hand, stopping near the door and looking back at him.

Jiraiya's eyes moved to look up at the frames of the four Hokage on the wall. His gaze focused on one particular picture, of a man with spiky yellow hair and sharp piercing blue eyes. A smile was on his handsome visage and he similar to the other three wore a necklace with four crystals around his neck and the Hokage robe "No, we are all equally to blame for this, Minato, you and I…we will always be weighed by this mountain of regret and guilt for as long as we live. I could've taken Naruto from Konoha if I really wanted to but I was stuck in the past and used my spy network as an excuse, you could have adopted him if you really wanted to, or gave him over to a foster family to be raised with love, and Minato…" he trailed off at the end, his gaze lingering on the picture of the blond haired man.

Hiruzen nodded in understanding, his gaze focused on the same picture "I understand, he made the gravest mistake of all, that being choosing his son's happiness over the village. No matter what you may say to them, a child would never understand that. Children are naturally possessively selfish and too centred on themselves that they do not see the big picture, but even if they were not, anyone would harbour bitterness toward their parents when they choose something bigger over them. I know the feeling…"

"Asuma?" Jiraiya asked his sensei with a knowing gaze.

He nodded, grasping his pipe and bringing it to his lips. He gave a weary sigh as he stuck it into his mouth "Yes, sometimes it seemed that every time we talked he just drifted further away from me. I suppose I failed him as a father but I just wish he'd come home"

Nodding at the elder man's statement, the white-haired man sympathized with his sensei. He knew about the man's fallout with some of his family members, especially his younger son Asuma. "I understand and I'm sorry to hear that"

The elder man waved him off "It is alright Jiraiya, now go, I don't wish to keep you, but remember…you aren't the only one suffering from this"

* * *

Naruto absentmindedly stumbled his way back home. He was currently walking in the middle of an empty street in what was once the port village of Namishu. The area around him was unkempt and most of the houses were collapsed and some huts had caved in on themselves. The state of the buildings showed they hadn't been lived in for a very long time. In the horizon the glow and rushing of the sea was visible but the blond wasn't focused on sightseeing.

His vision was blurred and his clothing tattered in many places but the blond was unminding of the state he was in and he just simply continued sauntering back home. The state he was in was contradicted by the large grin of accomplishment he wore on his face.

The blond couldn't stop grinning, and the reason for that didn't include a large steamy bowl of ramen or the fact that he had just went toe to toe with his sensei atop water for five hours straight and not get knocked out.

What had him grinning like a bulldog was because he had, after five months of intense training, the second step of his Suiton training. It had involved halting the flow of the water and he had struggled with it at for months but in the end he got it down today. Now he could finally do Suiton Ninjutsu, something which his sensei described as extraordinary.

The blond continued on his walk absently, not aware of his surroundings or of the pair of hidden bespectacled eyes watching him intently which disappeared soon after as they were swept away in a whirl of wind. He continued walking, so lost in his own little world that he didn't notice as he bumped into someone as he turned around a narrow corner.

"Oww" the blond fell to the ground on his butt, having been taken by surprise by the steady presence he had ran into.

"Hey you okay there kid?" in the midst of his grogginess, he could hear as the person spoke. Their voice was soft and Naruto figured it was someone young. Looking up Naruto was met with greyed hair as the person whom he had ran into stared down at him, their face extremely close to his and a kindly smile on their face.

Naruto shook his head to regain his bearings with a groan and looked up. The person before him looked to be a boy, roughly around 15 to 16 years of age; the boy had grey hair tied into a ponytail, wore circular glasses and had on a high collared purple shirt with a white one underneath it, and similarly coloured purple Shinobi pants. He had on plated fingerless purple gloves similar to those worn by Shinobi. Although his Chakra was well suppressed, Naruto's Rinnegan could clearly see that the boy before him had Jonin level Chakra pools at best. His posture was relaxed, although the way his chakra flickered about showed he was ready for anything. He had on a headband which the blond didn't recognise, even after months of refining on his studies.

Naruto was surprised to see a Shinobi in the area, he never knew there was Shinobi presence in the area but guessed the boy before him was back from a mission and was just 'passing through'.

"Yeah I am, sorry for bumping into you like that. I wasn't paying attention" The blond rubbed at his head sheepishly, a nervous smile on his face as he gazed at the elder boy.

The white-haired boy just smiled politely, dismissing his apology with a wave of the hand "It's alright, I wasn't paying attention either. Say, what's your name kid?"

"Uhh, why you wanna know?" Naruto gazed at him suspiciously but the stranger just chuckled and ruffled his hair and the blond couldn't help but feel there was something off about the boy before him.

The stranger just shrugged nonchalantly as he responded "Well you just seem like a good kid and I thought I should get your name. I'm Kabuto but you don't have to tell me yours if you don't want to"

Naruto shook his head, somehow still feeling this wave of uneasiness radiating off the boy whom had just given off his name far too easily "It's okay I guess, I'm Naruto"

"Well Naruto-kun, it was nice meeting you. I look forward to seeing you soon" and with that the white-haired boy turned around and began walking away. However he stopped after a few steps, turning his head to gaze at Naruto over his shoulder "Oh and Naruto-kun, you have very….interesting eyes" chuckling ominously, his four eyed glasses gleaming darkly in the same manner as well, the white haired boy continued on his way.

'_So that's him huh?'_ Kabuto thought, his back to Naruto as he disappeared into the woods.

Naruto kept staring at the diminishing silhouette of the mysterious whitehead. Naruto's eyes were narrowed in thought and suspicion, there was something off about that guy, and the comment he had made about his eyes certainly unsettled him. Why would a Shinobi be interested in his name? It didn't make sense, no matter how innocent and nice the guy tried to look.

'_That was Kinda creepy'_, Naruto summed up his thoughts with a long held sigh. At first he had thought the older boy would beat him up for bumping into him or curse and berate him. That was what happened in Konoha after all. Shaking off his troublesome thoughts, the blond began his 'creepster' delayed short walk home with a smile on his face, he just wanted to fill up, take a nice warm bath and bury himself in his Fuinjutsu theories scroll.

* * *

**~~A week later~~**

**Otogakure (still don't exist)- Land of Rice **

Orochimaru sat atop his throne-like chair in a dimly coloured room that was only provided light by a few candles.

Before him was an expressionless Danzo who had his back turned to him, the remnants of his Root faction standing a short distance away from him. The old warmonger had his eyes closed and BOTH his hands folded neatly underneath his robe with the baggy sleeves touching.

Orochimaru's slit golden eyes were curiously watching the man who over the past few months since he had stumbled upon his hideout in the land of Rice, had become his 'ally' of sorts. Their allegiance to one another was rather tenuous at best, after all with the history they had and how things had ended in Root, both men had valid reasons not to trust one another.

The Sannin of course wasn't overly jolly over allying himself with someone as paranoid as the man before him prior to the man's defection from Konoha, he knew that the presence of the man would invite unwanted enemies and Danzo had those in spades. Bur alas he went ahead and did it anyway; he believed the benefits of allying with the man were well worth the risks.

He still remembered the day when Danzo and a hundred and thirty of his men came to him five months ago like it was just yesterday.

**Flashback- Five months ago **

"I would like you to become my ally"

Orochimaru gazed at the stoic man who stood before him with a raised eyebrow. He didn't like the man for obvious reasons.

The man's name was Danzo Shimura. He had invited the man in when he learned he was seeking a meeting with him. He knew of the risks and knew the old fool would never dream of invading his hideout, not with everything the Sannin knew about him and could do against him.

In all his time in Konoha and even after defecting he had never understood the man and even now he didn't.

Everything that Danzo did perplexed him greatly; whether from getting involved in international affairs as he did with the original Akatsuki, ordering the mass massacring of clans, and killing everything that could remotely be considered a threat to Konoha, no matter how minimal it is. It seemed the man's paranoia was bordering on the levels of insanity and coming from him, that wasn't a compliment.

Orochimaru had then come to the conclusion that he wouldn't be surprised by everything the crazy old former elder would do. That was before today and now and the same man stood before him.

"What did you just say?" Orochimaru stared at the man with a surprised look, having come to the conclusion that he hadn't heard right.

"I wish for us to become allies" the man repeated the statement he had previously said in the same monotonous and without blinking.

Orochimaru gazed at the man before him, his slit golden eyes blinking and blinking and blinking before he chuckled ominously at seeing the serious expression on the man's face. Sometimes Danzo just said the most utterly stupidest things you could never expect from a man like him. The man was so unlike him in most ways, Danzo was always so serious and dull, but he certainly made things fun with his unpredictability.

The Sannin leant forward from his chair, a half-interested look on his face "Oh, and what would I get in return for allying myself to you Danzo?"

"Hiruzen's death and whatever else you may wish" the almost robotic reply shocked the Sannin who recoiled a bit.

The Sannin smirked, knowing the next statement would sour the stoic expression on the man's face "Well you do know that I want to destroy Konoha don't you?"

Danzo just kept looking at the Sannin as if he was looking past him "Yes and I will assist you in doing so"

Saying Orochimaru was shocked was putting it lightly, he was bewildered. Out of all the crazy things that he expected Danzo to sprout out the minute he stepped on his porch, what he just said was the craziest of them all. Not because the snake Sannin believed Konoha couldn't be destroyed, no far from it actually since he himself had been plotting Konoha's downfall for years. No what shocked him about the statement was that Danzo, a man who loved Konoha as much as he loved little boys, had just said he wanted to ally with him, a traitor to his beloved Konoha and two said he wished to invade Konoha with him.

So none could really blame the Sannin for being shocked. But his eyes soon narrowed in anger as he gazed at the former elder. "Do not take me for a fool Danzo, you and I both know that you would never contribute to the downfall of Konoha as you so bluntly declare. You hope to betray me in the midst of it all don't you?" he chuckled at the end of his statement.

Danzo didn't share in his amusement however as he just remained aloof as always "Well perhaps but we both know you are too clever to fall for any trap i may set your way and besides, the Konoha I want you to destroy is Hiruzen's. Mine will be rebuilt from the ruins of what was once the greatest village of the five and will be made into an even stronger superpower than before. One that will conquer the elemental nations"

"You're playing a very dangerous game old man, I like it." The Sannin gave a large predatory grin, licking his lips with a long tongue, his golden eyes gleaming in the dark room and drawing a small smile from Danzo as well "However, should you betray me Danzo I promise you that not even those lovely Sharingan you have will save you" the Sannin's smile just widened at seeing the elder man's eyes narrow.

The smile quickly fell from Danzo's face and he glared intensely at the pale skinned man who just continued smiling widely, his smile stretching his pale face to the point of his canines becoming visible "Are you threatening me Orochimaru?"

Chuckling childishly Orochimaru just shrugged as if he had said the most innocent of things "Perhaps I am or perhaps not"

**End Flashback**

Suffice to say, since that day he and the former Konoha elder had been making plans to accomplish their common goals and individual goals. The Sannin was glad for once for aligning himself with the man because with his help, Otogakure was no longer a mere idea but was growing into a cluster of hideouts and given a few more years would become a fully-fledged hidden village. They were securing more weapons, conquering more and more of Rice country and gaining more territory of the country.

In just five months they had nearly won over the whole country and it helped now that the new Daimyo was more or less a pawn of theirs.

Although Orochimaru could care less about Danzo's ambitions to restructure Konoha by becoming its Hokage immediately after its 'destruction', and to conquer the five great nations. He somehow found himself curious of the man's intentions and fixation with the runaway Jinchuriki of Konoha, the son of the man whom he loathed and respected.

The boy called Naruto Uzumaki.

The Sannin knew the boy's last name couldn't be a coincidence but that wasn't enough to warrant his attention.

From Danzo's brief mention of him, the boy was apparently quiet powerful. Although a little rough around the edges, but with enough training could rival and possibly surpass his father. The Sannin was however more intrigued by the type of attack, a powerful one that is, that his 'ally' had briefly mentioned the boy used. Gravity Ninjutsu. That was a field the Sannin had never ventured into, not because of uninterest but rather because it was impossible, at least without a bloodline if the Sannin had to guess. So because of that the notorious nuke-nin had gained a sudden interest in Naruto.

The Sannin gazed at Danzo who was quietly gazing into the distance of the dark room. He inwardly sighed; sometimes he wondered why he had aligned himself with this man. Danzo was no fun at all, in fact you could get more emotion out of a rock than you would out the former elder of Konoha. And Orochimaru didn't like overly serious people, and Danzo, well he transcended the boundary of seriousness. It was as if the man had no people skills at all, he had locked himself in a hole way too long but the least he could was hold conversation.

Days spent with the man made Orochimaru realise that hanging out and peeping on women with Jiraiya when they were younger was the most entertaining thing to do compared to well… this, although he always pretended to not enjoy it.

He sighed inwardly again, how he wished Kabuto was here. Speaking of which he wondered when the boy would return, he had been sent out to Nami no kuni to look for a young Hyouton user he had discovered was in the area, rumoured to be travelling with the notorious Kirigakure no sato nuke-nin Zabuza Momochi. The Sannin hoped to add the two to his 'collection' of playthings.

"Danzo-sama" A new muffled voice broke the Sannin from his thoughts and his gaze travelled to the owner of the voice. A kneeling member of Danzo's Root who had just entered into the room accompanied by five others.

The state they were in clearly displayed the obvious notion that they had just returned from a mission.

"Yes?" Danzo replied monotonously, gazing down at the bowing men before him. He had sent them on a mission to search for and find the Kyubi Jinchuriki.

The leader handed a scroll toward the man who unfolded it and read the contents silently. The man's furrowing of his brows was the only indication he was displeased with what he was reading.

"You failed to find him?" the captain nodded nervously, feeling uncomfortable under his commander's intense scrutinizing gaze, whose voice was tinged slightly with anger.

Tentatively the man spoke "I apologise Danzo-sama, but we searched all designated locations on the scroll and we couldn't find him. We could've searched all the places he could have gone but we were cautious of venturing out into the open without fear of being spotted by some of Jiraiya-sama's spies. He is looking for the boy as well my lord"

Danzo sighed inwardly, he contemplated killing the men before him for failing him, but couldn't since he had no more orphans to expend. For now he had to work with the failures he had until he could get his hands on Naruto.

"Oh my Jiraiya-kun? It has been a long time since I saw him. It seems he doesn't care about me anymore. Anyway i wonder who will find him first, you or my resourceful idiotic former teammate but with your situation I highly doubt it" Orochimaru's mocking tone chirped in, his lilting tone adding further irk to Danzo's mood.

Danzo tossed the paper away and tossed an annoyed glare toward the pale skinned Sannin "That may be likely, however I will find the boy, the Kyubi will be mine. Hiruzen and Jiraiya must be even more foolish than ever if they believe they can prevent me from claiming the boy. He will be found and I WILL FIND HIM"

"Well then you're in luck" a soft new voice tore into the fray, snapping the attention of all and Orochimaru who recognised it instantly toward the owner who stood before the door, all in his bespectacled glory, his glasses glowing ominously. He pushed his glasses up with a finger, a devious smile on his face.

"Because I know where he is"

* * *

Naruto dodged his opponent's punch, retaliating with one of his own which connected with his opponent's face and instead of having them reeling on the ground in pain; they simply puffed out of existence in a cloud of smoke.

He kept his blindfolded stare ahead, sensing as four more enemies charged toward him again, settling into his own Taijutsu stance, with his feet slightly bent, his left foot brought forward while his upper half lent backwards slightly, the blond got ready to defend. His similarly blond haired opponents all attacked at once, forcing the blond into a corner as he dodged and blocked their well organised and flawless attacks.

He had learnt the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu from his sensei and so far the blond was praising the genius which had developed the jutsu. He had learned it in the fourth month of training and unlike the Bunshin no jutsu which had been a bane of his existence in his short time in Konoha's academy, this jutsu favoured high chakra usage and practically no chakra control at all. The former which he had in spades and the latter which he had impeccably improved in, with the help of his Rinnegan. Although he was limited to only a few clones since unbelievably he could see through them and it was quite disorientating and dangerous. Even now as he sparred with his doppelgangers, he and his clones were sparring blindfolded, working merely with their senses to alleviate the advantage the advantage they would all have over another.

He had been told of the advantage of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu but the blond wanted to do things himself, he only used the clones for physical training, reading and sparing while the rest of his training he did all by himself. He believed the jutsu allowed him to basically cheat his way out of working hard for his own strength.

The blond blocked a kick from a clone however failed to sense as one of his clones crept up behind him and connected with a kick that sent him flying away and tumbling across the ground. Removing a kunai from his holster the blond plunged it into the ground to stop his harsh skidding across the ground. With a groan, he pulled out his weapon from the ground; the blond heard a whooshing sound and descending toward him. Deftly rolling out of the way of the kick which cracked the ground where he had been standing, causing debris to momentarily fly into the air.

Naruto disappeared in a blur of speed, appearing behind his doppelganger who reacted accordingly to jump over the low kick to his feet from the original, however was surprised as the blond got under him before he sent a long kick that connected with his chin and dispelled him instantly. The blond sensed movement from behind him, he grabbed his opponent's leg as they sent a kick to his chin, mustering all his strength, he swung the doppelganger around before tossing him away however they simply regained their balance and skidded to a stop.

The blond went on the offensive yet again, charging his remaining four opponents; however he and his clones were stopped cold by a shrill scream of fear coming all the way from the house. Recognising the voice as Hotaru's and taking it to mean she was in danger; he wasted no time in taking off, practically flying toward the house. The clones dispelled automatically and the blond shrugged off the influx of information as he hopped from tree to tree in a blur of motion.

As he edged closer he could easily make out hundreds of chakra signatures that he didn't recognise with his Rinnegan, they were surrounding two Chakra sources that he recognised instantly as his sensei's and Hotaru's, with the latter's smaller chakra source held back in a grip by a larger one.

Naruto began panicking slightly at that. All of the strange, signatures were, if Naruto had to guess, Jounin level with one that was slightly above, perhaps the same level as his sensei, and were all channelling chakra around the area, and it was suffocating and their chakra clearly underlined their purpose, to kill his family. The largest chakra signature held a strange feeling of familiarity to it which the blond couldn't quite place.

Bursting to the scene, Naruto landed in the middle of the crowd of enemies. He looked at Hotaru to see her held in a firm grip by a masked Shinobi, a hand clasped over her mouth with a kunai pressed to her neck enough that it left a small cut and drew a small trickle of blood. There was a terrified expression in the girl's eyes and the blond could feel anger well up in his veins.

His sensei was standing in the middle of all the men, who seemed to reach hundred in numbers, a grim expression on his face that was impassive. His body was slightly tense and he was intensely staring at one particular figure clad in a black hooded robe, their hood was covering their head, obstructing any of their facial features from being made out.

It was the one with the larger chakra source and signature compared to the others, Kage level from what he had read, with their right arm having a much denser chakra source and ten smaller ones along the length of their entire right arm, which ironically had a very dark coloured chakra but wasn't as dense as the rest of the chakra along the arm. Taking in those features into consideration, recognition struck in Naruto's mind and his heart nearly exploded out of his chest as his anger gave way to fear.

Naruto's breath hitched as his body turned cold, his legs wobbled slightly and absently he backed away surprising his sensei. There was no killing intent being channelled however the blond knew that with the person before him, killing intent was unnecessary. Their darkened chakra was frightening enough as it was.

The figure, whose back was turned to Naruto, Higure and the others, slowly took off their hood, revealing spiky but somewhat shaggy black hair. Turning around, their coal black eye and single red three tomoe eye which spun calmly met Naruto's rippled purple ones and Naruto's rippled ones widened as his eyes met that of his forgotten greatest nightmare.

A stoic, expressionless look on their face, which had an X-shaped scar on their chin. The man spoke.

"I have found you, Kyubi Jinchuriki"

* * *

**I love the ending, did you also enjoy it? **

**Guess what ? Danzo's 'I WILL FIND HIM' dialogue was recommended to me by Legion343, it's a quote from the man of steel, made by the kryptonian militarist Zod. Didn't use it exactly the way he hoped but I figured it fit. But thumbs up to Legion for that and for sporting the similarities between Danzo and the supervillain.**

**Leave a review and say what you thought of the chapter. This is kind of two chapters in one by this story's standards but this is the beginning of lengthier chapters for this story. **

**Note: One thing I'm not particularly good at is writing battles; even if I do have the mental image** **and the battle planned out I struggle with it and I often feel they lack that killer 'wickedness' that just makes readers go 'well fuck that's freaking badass'.**

**It's a defect of mine and I acknowledge that and have been trying to improve but if you guys ever feel that you can contribute, I'm open to ANY suggestions and assistance you might provide me with.**

**The next chapter will be a heavily battle chapter (My first true battle chapter), and I promise i will not disappoint. **

**Cheer, I'm out.**

**-The Disturbed Immortal** -


	8. Uzumaki no Tsukai and Unsubtle Glimpses

**Naruto isn't mine**...

**Note: Some of the techniques used in this Chapter are my own, created for a powerful OC to distinguish them and make them unique…**

**I didn't check for any grammatical mistakes or spelling errors because I used the weekend to type out this whole chapter…WITH THE SPEED OF LIGHT that is. This is a slightly longer chapter, hope it is to your liking…**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Uzumaki no ****Tsukai ****and Not so Subtle Glimpses**

* * *

**(Konohagakure no Sato, Academy)**

A lone brown haired man stood near a window, his dark-eyed gaze piercing absently through the window and focused on an unoccupied swing in the background of the academy training grounds.

It was already into the afternoon and Iruka Umino, a Chuunin instructor for Konoha's academy had remained in class to mark off some of the students' work. He had planned on marking off some of the students' work however he simply couldn't quite get around to it. So he had simply let himself be warped into his thoughts and mused on the cause of his unrest.

Naruto Uzumaki….

For months he had wondered what had happened to the blond hared, blue-eyed troublemaker that was his student Naruto Uzumaki. In the first week that the boy had seemingly disappeared he had dismissed his absence from school, chalking it up to the boy's love for trouble and his apparent hatred for the learning environment. However his thoughts were proven wrong as another week passed and another and another and then months came and went without any sighting of the boy and his assistant Mizuki's strange disappearance around the same time as well led him to believe something was incredibly wrong.

A part of him while glad to teach a less troublesome class, the part of him that blamed the blond for his parents' death, had been glad to hear that, figuring teaching and managing the class would now be a bit less bothersome. However he had hoped he would come back. The brief out of school interaction with the blond having showed him the truth….that the blond was suffering deep inside and hid his pain behind a well-crafted mask of boisterousness and happiness. He had finally figured it out, had finally seen something in the way Naruto acted and presented himself that struck a chord of similarity within him. He hadn't needed a mind walker from the Yamanaka to see underneath the perfect mask of Naruto Uzumaki, but simply needed experience. One look at Naruto's eyes the day before his disappearance while he softly and lifelessly swung on the swing in the background had been enough to tell him that Naruto had suffered the same fate as he had, albeit on a grander scale. He knew loneliness, pain and most painfully, and unlike him didn't know acknowledgement his entire life.

For a long time he had merely thought he could put out Naruto's existence and like everyone else, pretend he wasn't there and simply focus on his own things but he struggled after that day those five months ago. The blond reminded him so much of himself that it was almost unbearable to watch. While he had also constructed a prankster identity to gain the social attention he had lost prior to the death of his parents during his childhood, the people merely saw it as the actions of a poor orphan with no one to teach him better and he was comforted for that and not reprimanded, but it was more out of pity than anything else. By contrast Naruto's actions were merely seen as those of an evil demon and ironically enough, the blond didn't wish to be pitied but merely sought any sort of acknowledgement, whether positive or negative. He made the people see him but his actions only served to aggravate the persecution and loathing the people had for him.

He pretended to take it well but he clearly wasn't from what the Chuunin saw by the look on his face while he sat on that swing after being kicked out of class. So because of that on that night as he went to sleep, unaware of what was happening to the blond, the Chuunin instructor had decided to try to unravel Uzumaki Naruto, to bring out the best in him and give him a chance, But it had been a little too late it seemed.

Naruto didn't show up to school the following day and so did Mizuki….

He had feared the worst, believing the people had finally done away with the boy whom while he was neutral towards and only slightly harbouring a small pinch of dislike towards, never wished any ill-will upon and could only hope the young orphan was alright. He had also gone around the village, looking for him and asking people if they had seen him. However most people in the village were sensitive about the issue and would merely look away shamefully whenever he asked whether they had seen the boy, mostly those from the Shinobi council committee.

That had further elevated his suspicion of the fate of the Uzumaki and he knew the only person who could provide him with the desired answers was the Hokage. Iruka was worried about the safety of one of his student and he would be damned if anyone tries to stave him off the topic. Sadly, he had gotten what he bargained for and was told of the grim details that led to the blond Uzumaki's disappearance and his disgust for the village and his former friend Mizuki grew upon realisation of what truly conspired. While it was revealed to be a village secret of massive proportions warranting immediate execution if revealed, he had been shocked to hear of what happened to his former student. Very few had learned the true fate of one Uzumaki Naruto and most of his classmates and the younger generation of Konoha were not privy to the real reasons behind his sudden disappearance. Even Chuunin level-nin were almost not aware of the circumstances surrounding Naruto's disappearance, he had been merely told out of favour by the Hokage and because he was Naruto's teacher. Most children merely assumed that the blond had quit school.

There hadn't been the expected village-wide responses of 'Good Riddance' from everyone as some seemed somber and sensitive about the issue.

It was a shame and Konoha truly had reason to be ashamed of what has become of it and thus the secret of the true whereabouts and fate of Naruto was kept on a tight leash and everyone was tight-lipped about it, considering now that they knew who he was but most simply refused to accept it.

He had left and Mizuki was dead, killed by the very same boy. His innocence finally stripped from him and his actions having enforced the belief in most of the civilian populace's hearts that he was a true demon. Nevertheless, he was extremely disgusted with the actions of his former friend Mizuki and it just went to show him that you could never truly claim to know anyone in this world; people can show you their teeth in an exaggerated smile and just as quickly stab you. It was so terrifyingly true because an enemy lying in wait and hiding behind a smile and mask of politeness was far too dangerous than a visibly hostile enemy, and Mizuki had been that. Now distinguishing between friend and enemy was becoming difficult.

The Konoha Shinobi faction also expressed clear grievances about the threat the boy could pose, whether directly or indirectly. There were many scenarios regarding Naruto, ranging from fear of the boy being consumed by hatred for Konoha and eventually seeking vengeance against the village to the possibility of kidnapping and being used against Konoha by either one of the other Hidden Villages. Whatever the belief, both scenarios were highly likely and that exerted an obvious wave of unsettlement on the Shinobi of the Jinchuriki-less hidden village. There was a serious uproar in the village and crisis after crisis followed, from Naruto's self-imposed banishment to Danzo-sama's defection; it was obvious that Konohagakure wasn't as settled and peaceful as it would like to believe. He could understand the need to remain tight-lipped about Naruto's disappearance as other villages could learn of it and try to abduct him and whatever the case, they knew if either Iwagakure or Kumogakure no Sato learned Konoha's Jinchuriki had ran away from the village and was wandering the world without protection, they could try to manipulate him, turn his hatred of Konoha into a fuel that drives him to seek vengeance and ultimately destroy Konoha.

Again he couldn't believe the case involving Naruto had caused such widespread commotion, but he supposed it was Naruto's ultimate and final troublesome act. He had left behind an unwilling path of destruction so bad that it left the village greatly dishevelled. Unlike his painting of various personal ANBU underwear and possessions, this time he had a permanent mark with which to remember him by; the crater outside the village.

So now here he was, five months later, and still staring at that swing which the blond had immortalized in his opinion, the swing where Naruto's mask came off and he was laid bare for all to see. The swing where his vulnerability reared its head and he didn't have to hide how he felt. In a matter of fact tone, the swing was Naruto's friend of sorts, it signified his loneliness and lack of friends because the first thing you think about upon seeing a child on a swing, you expect to see a friend or parent pushing them, it understood his loneliness as it hung suspended from the tree, the only one of its creation in the area. Even among his peers, the swing was known as 'Naruto's swing' and no one dared venture near it.

Iruka sighed, rubbing at his horizontally scarred nose as he tore his reluctant gaze from the swing and turned away from the window. Dark clouds shrouded the atmosphere and he knew the heavens would open up very soon. It was strange because rainfall at this time of the year in Konoha was unusual. Shaking his head yet again with a sigh, he chalked it up to the list of unusual things that had been happening around Konoha lately. His work awaited him but for now he could only hope Naruto was alright.

A sudden feeling of foreboding hit him, making him stop but he dismissed it a moment after and sat down to begin his work, fucking rain be damned.

* * *

**(Hyuuga Clan Compound, Main Household)**

It was pouring harshly in Konoha, great black thunder clouds hung luminously over the village like a veil. It was quite rare and unusual to see the village experience in the middle of winter like this.

The Hyuuga compound was expectantly large, spanning a respectable distance with many Japanese styled households. Most of the houses were very well built and decorated elegantly while some were very simple. The Hyuuga clan was widely known and regarded as the current strongest clan in Konoha and the elemental nations prior to the Uchiha clan massacre; their ocular prowess was feared and desired throughout the elemental nations as all members of the clan inherited the Doujutsu of the clan, the Byakugan. With these eyes, they were given a 360 range/degree vision, could see through solid objects, can see the chakra circulatory system and it also acted as a medium in helping them in the effective use of their clan style, the Jyuuken which allowed them to close off their opponents' chakra points by expelling chakra from their fingers.

However all in the clan wasn't black and white though. In fact if one were to learn of the truth of the divided state of the Hyuga, they would be repulsed by the ugly truth about the great clan.

The Hyuuga was divided into two; there was the main branch and the branch family. Only those from the main branch were allowed to become leaders of the clan and those from the branch family served them as loyal servants, bluntly putting it, slaves, despite their familial connections as they were branded with Juinjutsu to control them. To some in the main branch, they believed fate had dealt them a harsh hand, born to serve and enslaved by a seal to ensure their co-operation was how all branch members saw themselves and because of that, they harboured a great deal of hatred toward the main family, despite all of them being of the same clan and blood.

But moving on from that…

It was quite in the clan and the afternoon was approaching its end, the rain had started coming down and most had retreated to the confines of their households. A few Hyuuga stood before the large gate entry into the compound mounting guard; while relatively comfortable under the small porch- shelter connected to the gates.

Inside a large traditional looking Japanese house, in a Dojo-like room with wooden flooring and various folded tatami mats lining the floor supposedly for sitting, a silhouette could be made out standing near a large Shoji. Her pale lavender white eyes gazing into the now soaked and pouring distance with an unfocused stare, her searching gaze flickered about and concern was clearly etched in her pale pupil-less eyes. Her fingers were poking nervously against one another habitually.

The young girl was wearing an elegant loose-fitting white robe with different coloured trimmings, with a fishnet underneath. Her short dark blue hair was styled elegantly and kept short with chin-length bangs framing her face.

Another presence was quietly sitting a short-distance behind her, their body held in a perfectly refined and mastered Seiza position, their knees sinking into a small tatami mat beneath them. His face was expressionless at best and his eyes while appearing closed, were roaming the figure of the young girl intently.

Hiashi merely sighed deeply as he continued staring at his eldest daughter Hinata, who reminded him painfully of his deceased wife. It had almost become a force of habit, he was always watching Hinata but this time it was different. This time it was out of concern that mere scrutiny. Ever since Minato's son left the village, Hinata's self-confidence issues had reared their head once more and increased dramatically. He knew about his daughter's admiration and childish for the blond, which given a few years would've blossomed into true feelings, he thought with time Hinata would fall to the sway of her friends and stay away from Naruto but she persevered on but simply couldn't muster the confidence to befriend him. She had once told him about how the boy had defended her from bullies and had asked why everyone hated the boy as her bodyguard Ko Hyuga had told her never to associate herself with the boy, 'subtly' telling her 'it', not a he, was trouble and a filthy commoner.

Suffice to say he had never given her a clear answer but he had encouraged her to befriend him, hoping his fiery and positive attitude could rub off on her and also for Naruto as the boy clearly needed a friend. However Hinata simply struggled to do it and merely hesitated at the last moment; either just greeting the boy stutteringly and leaving only to quietly follow him later on. It was almost embarrassing to take in as a father but her mother had also been the same. However he knew he was the reason for Hinata's lack of self-confidence after he pushed her too hard after her mother's passing. He blamed the elders for pestering him about grooming her for the position of clan head but mostly he blamed himself for not being man enough to defend her.

Now her only source of strength and inspiration had left and he never imagined his leaving would affect her so badly. Now everyday she would just stand there and stare outside, training didn't interest her and Hanabi now defeated her without any effort in their daily spars. He simply didn't know what to do anymore, he couldn't comfort her because he wasn't good with that 'stuff', Hyuga had to be proud and rarely show emotion after all and his father had extremely buried him neck-deep about proper Hyuga etiquette, his younger twin-brother was the one who retained some measure of kind-heartedness. It was no wonder why his sacrifice and subsequent death hit Neji very hard, because he was a caring father, unlike him who struggled to show emotion due to fear of 'going out of character'.

'_Namikaze, wherever you are, I hope you return very soon. Kami-sama knows you're the only one who can help my daughter'_ he sighed and closed his eyes for real this time as he went back to meditating.

While Hiashi meditated, Hinata was immersed with her thoughts as well, her heart was telling her something bad was about to go down. She knew it somehow involved Naruto and she was praying desperately to Kami-sama to protect the blond and make him strong enough to fight off this obstacle…her Naruto instincts never failed or were they ever wrong for that matter.

Clasping her palms together she sent another silent prayer to the heavens _'Please look after Naruto-kun and keep him strong and safe, Kami-sama' _

Almost as if in answer to her sincere prayer, a loud crack and booming thunder roared above the village…

* * *

**(Namishu, Nami no Kuni)**

"I have found you, Kyubi Jinchuriki"

"Y-y-you…" the trembling voice of the blond Uzumaki who was backing away slightly could be made out.

The air was grim, heavy and an intolerable veil of murderous intent hung around the area.

None dared to move as the wind howled and whistled past them, fluttering their clothing softly, afraid that a single ounce of movement might provoke a very instinctual and unpredictable reaction. Shinobi were after all fidgety people, paranoia was something they lived with and when in a tight position, one had to be very delicate so as not to bring about a much undesired reaction.

The hostile group's members were all emotionlessly glaring at the Uzumaki duo, visibly tensed and showing that the slightest movement would result in the premature end of Hotaru. Speaking of the 11 year old brunette, she was shivering in fear, not quite used to being exposed to Shinobi killing intent as she was still held in a vice-grip by the black-haired masked ANBU, a Tanto still pointed to her neck and drawing a thin line of blood. The Uzumaki were at the mercy of the enemy as things stood and they knew that in order to save the girl, they would have to jump when they said so.

Naturally Higure was the first of the encompassed duo to shrug off the uneasy feelings and intentions being directed at them by the masked people. He schooled his features, glaring intensely at the supposed leader of this very hostile group. Contemplation clearly darting in his mind at the hostility of the situation and the possibility of it evolving into a full-on confrontation, he looked toward Naruto and wasn't surprised to see him clearly affected by all this despite his arduous training.

He looked at the men before him, focusing his stare on the figure of the leader; he of course knew the man and had been surprised to see him. It had been years since he had last seen the man but he would never forget that face, or those cunning eyes.

"Danzo Shimura" clear recognition was in the redhead's voice, sparking an immediate reaction from Naruto who looked at him, surprise in his rippled-purple eyes.

Danzo gazed at the redheaded man and merely grunted in annoyance "I never thought I would stumble upon you in this lifetime….Tsukai no Uzumaki" the man's statement drew several surprised stares from everyone, even his own men. They knew who the Tsukai no Uzumaki was; after all, Danzo made it his priority to get them well covered in the history of Shinobi, to prepare them for any situation. The man was a legendary Uzumaki, a master of Suiton and Raiton Ninjutsu and was said to be undefeated on Uzushiogakure no Sato, he was widely referred to as the 'last leader' of the Uzumaki clan. Believed to be able to bend the very massive natural eddies that surrounded the island to his will and could literally go up against the Nidaime Hokage in a Suiton Ninjutsu battle on a level-scale. So one wouldn't say they would be relishing a battle with him, even though his body hadn't seen battle in a long time and had dulled considerably with old age.

Naruto unfortunately had a confused expression on his face, while he had read about the legend of the man, what little was left of it; he never imagined it would be his mysterious sensei. His interest in the legend of the man had been sparked by the very same man who told him a story about 'the Suiton master' during his training. He focused his gaze on the redhead, still struggling to believe what he had just heard. "Ojii-san is that true?" Naruto asked and only received a nod of confirmation which told him Higure wouldn't be answering any more questions from him.

"I can't say I am still befitting of that title, considering what happened to my beloved country and clan. However, I do wonder what you are here for and the meaning of all this. You wouldn't happen to have lost something here would you, Shinobi no Yami?" Naruto glanced at his sensei in awe, surprised at the level of calm he exuded which was nullifying the murderous veil all around them. The way the man spoke with Naruto's 'arch-nemesis' showed the two knew each other, long before he was even born and all this.

"Well I suppose I have. I was disappointed to hear of your downfall, your clan always did provide us with the perfect hosts for the Kyubi. The last one was a disappointment and dismissed her Bijuu's power, but her offspring will do just fine, he will become the ultimate Jinchuriki" Danzo's figure remained as it were the day he embraced the darkness, emotionless as he addressed the revealed legendary figure.

Higure frowned at that and stole a well-hidden glance at Naruto to see whether he had understood that last part but relaxed a bit upon seeing him still dazed with confusion "Perhaps but I will not let it happen, Naruto is not going anywhere"

Danzo raised an eyebrow at that, gazing at the former Uzushio leader "Oh? And why not? After all you were the one who so kindly offered the previous Jinchuriki to us, why can't you offer us her child as well? It is a cycle that has to continue from your family-line after all, the agreement 'you' signed with Konoha" if Higure was irked by the last statement, he was visibly angered by this one as his eyes narrowed dangerously, the only indication of his anger.

"Danzo, I do not wish to fight you…I have already seen too much bloodshed to last a whole lifetime" at that, the temperature dropped rapidly and even the schooled features of Danzo were disrupted as the man's chakra leaked "but should you push this issue a little too far then you will die" Higure glared at the man, not paying attention to the shivering blond beside him or the sweating porcelain-masked ANBU surrounding them. "Now tell your man to release Hotaru and we can forget this whole ordeal"

Danzo glared at the man, releasing his own murderous intent as well "Don't presume to believe you hold the advantage here Uzumaki…you haven't seen battle in decades and in that time I've continued assimilating and adding small gifts to my growing strength. You have waned in strength and can't defeat me as you are. I am not one for diplomacy and I will only warn you this once…hand me the Jinchuriki or the girl dies"

For once Higure didn't give an answer to that, he knew he was caught in a tight situation. It was either he sacrifice the closest thing he ever had to a granddaughter or throw Naruto. He knew he would never choose either scenario but what could he do, he almost wished he was dealing with Shinobi pirates at this moment, not a hardcore militarist who obviously had nothing but terrible intensions planned for Naruto, even if his fate wouldn't be death. He cast a well-hidden at the figure holding Hotaru and the other ones close by; he prided himself as being rational, calm and a level headed individual but even his mind was running a marathon trying to conjure up a solution to this problem. He knew Danzo wouldn't go back on his threat, and he simply couldn't afford to lose neither Hotaru nor Naruto.

While the redhead was mulling over on what to do to salvage the life of Hotaru and keep Naruto out of Danzo's cunning reach. The blond was also mulling over his options. _'Should I give myself up? I know Sensei would never do that but I can't let Hotaru-chan die because of me. I have to do something but if I tried to save her then that guy would kill her. I'd rather be taken to Konoha than let someone I love die because I was selfish…I just can't'_ pulling himself together Naruto felt the tremble in his knees lessen, a determined expression entered his eyes _'I guess this is it then…I'm sorry sensei'_

"Alright" the sudden response halted time in the tense atmosphere, however it wasn't the voice Danzo was expecting to hear but he smiled nonetheless "I'll come with you" Higure's heart froze and his eyes fell on Naruto.

"Naruto! What do you think you are doing? Do you know wha-" he was cut off by the blond as he merely put a hand on his own and smiled a sad forced smile.

"It's okay Sensei; I don't care what happens to me as long as Hotaru-chan and you are safe. I…I've never had a family before and I got to experience that with you guys and I will never trade it for anything, but I will never let someone I love die if I can do something about it. Even if it means sacrificing myself" he looked at Hotaru to see her looking at him with a flood of tears in her beautiful green eyes, she was shaking her head almost as if telling him not to do it, even if she died but the blond wouldn't have it and merely grinned at her.

"Magomusuko, I…can't let you do that, I have lost enough as it is. My daughter, my wife, my whole clan and now you, I will not allow it" the man had a stern expression on his face, showing the blond how serious he was.

Naruto looked down at that, whether from hearing the man calling him his grandson or his objection; however it was soon revealed why as a few tears dropped from his eyes. His heart was screaming at him, telling him this was his chance to be happy at last but his mind asked him at what cost would that happiness come and at the end the blond settled for the most rational scenario "I-I'm happy…I got to know you…goodbye Ojii-san" Naruto walked toward Danzo with quick steps and a cocky smirk spread across the man's face at the turn of things.

Higure reached out with his hand to stop the blond but Naruto didn't dare look back and stopped before the former Konoha advisor and glared at him heatedly.

"Alright here I am you freak, now let her go" Naruto intensely glared at the man who merely shrugged.

Naruto looked on, chakra circulating inside the man's arm and a small seal appeared in his palm before he slapped it atop Naruto's forehead "Juinjutsu: Ne Chuuki no jutsu" Naruto's body glowed and then a terrible scorching hot sensation racked the blonde's body and fiery-orange marks clawed and licked up along his entire body, he felt his body freeze up as Danzo's cursed seal began to take effect and the glowing stopped and only black marks remained across his entire body, covering his face, arms and hands.

'_I can't move…what kind of jutsu is this?' _The blond grunted in a fruitless effort to move.

Danzo let out a victorious sigh before he looked at Naruto with an intense stare and grunted in distaste at the tear streaks along the blonde's face, '_Now I will destroy that foolish sentimentality that you hold_' he thought darkly before he gazed at Higure and his eyes glinted dangerously as he grabbed Naruto's paralysed form by the shirt and tossed him toward one of his men who caught the blond.

"L-let h-her go, y-you g-got what y-you wanted right?" the paralysed Naruto grunted while in the grip of a black-haired Anbu, one of his eyes closed from the strain on his body.

"Fool, I had no intention of doing so. What I want…is to kill these emotions you seem to hold on to. Now I will eradicate that foolish impulsiveness and sentimentality that you hold. I will not have any emotional soldiers in my force…Hyou" he called out to one of his foundation ANBU, a man wearing a large cloak. It was the same one holding Hotaru and the man nodded and Higure tensed while Naruto felt the thumping of his heart increase rapidly. "Kill the girl; she will just be a hindrance to his progress in Root"

"NO DANZO!" Higure screamed out as he forced his body to move as he saw the porcelain-masked man's hand which was holding the Katana to Hotaru's neck tensed as time seemed to slow down.

Everything happened in slow motion almost as if to prolong the terrible feelings of agony in the Uzumaki duo's hearts.

Higure was springing toward Hotaru as fast as he could, however he knew he wouldn't make it…

Hotaru closed her eyes in acceptance of her fate, in the meantime while hot tears flowed down her face…

And Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the man's Tanto-holding hand shift from Hotaru's neckline, rearing his Tanto-holding hand back and plunging the steel through her back, impaling her like marshmallow as the Steel emerged out her chest. The brunette's green eyes merely widened and a dull glint entered them; the man ripped the Tanto out of her figure and tossed her blood stained form to the ground unceremoniously.

In that moment time seemed to stop for Naruto and Higure and then everyone saw red, a sickening spurt of blood flowed from the girl's chest, creating a large red patch on her silky white shirt and falling to the ground in agonising drips. Her form was still flying through the air slowly and before her petite body could harshly hit the ground, she was caught by the sprinting Higure as time returned to normal yet again. The girl's eyes wide and disbelieving, she tried to speak only managing to cough out blood. The man stared back at Danzo with murderous eyes while Naruto merely looked on shocked.

"You see now, emotions will bring you ties which hold your abilities back and bear emotional pain. Let go of them, kill them, erase them and you shall not know pain any longer" Naruto wasn't particularly listening to the man, his whole undivided attention was focused on the form of his surrogate sister. His eyes were still set in the very same terrified expression as before and Danzo looked to completely seal the deal "Now kill the other one and we can leave"

Naruto felt red-hot rage burn his insides; his body was cold with disbelief and his rippled-purple eyes wide in terror and shock. He stared helplessly as Hotaru's body was safely caught by his Sensei, and she gurgled blood, breathing suddenly becoming a chore to her. Naruto's form shook like a leaf, large rivulets of sweat on his face. The black marks on his body began disappearing and his Chakra spiked drastically, drawing the attention of all those around toward him just in time to see the ANBU holding him violently blown away, his body being crushed under the intense gravitational weight exerted on him as just like that time in Konoha, Naruto exploded.

Danzo and everyone else covered their eyes as the influx of Chakra from the blond was blinding and the technique forced them to apply Chakra to their feet lest they be blown away as well, which meant they couldn't move to stop Naruto in time.

Wasting no time, Naruto sprung toward Higure and Hotaru, stopping before them and gazing on at the stabbed brunette who smiled sadly at him. Higure looked at Naruto sadly as the blond fell on his knees and took the girl's hand and squeezed it. Handing him Hotaru's bloodied form, Higure stood up with intent and a murderous glint in his aged purple eyes. He gazed at the monster that he believed was Shimura Danzo, and knew today he would kill the man. Normally he abhorred needless killing but there wouldn't be anything needless about what he was going to do to Danzo and his Root.

He heard a choked sob come from behind him as Naruto conversed with the dying Hotaru. Knowing that the distraught blond might be in danger during the battle, the redhead ran through a long chain of handseals, "Kodai Shitai no Shoujinheki" clasping his hands together, a large purple structure flickered into existence, encompassing Naruto and Hotaru's forms. The barrier was relatively large, being the size of a house in width and height.

Finally satisfied with his work and happy it would be able to keep Naruto out of harm's way or capture. The old Uzumaki summoned a Ninjato from out of nowhere. Getting the invitation, three of Danzo's ANBU charged the old redhead who gripped his weapon in reverse grip and got into a loose stance. He blocked a swipe from one of the Root, lashing out with a kick that connected with man's jaw, sending him flying, he swivelled around in time to dodge out-of-the-way of another two additional swipes from the other two, catching both their arms, he kneed the both of them in the gut before with surprising strength and agility for one his age, threw them both in the direction of the barrier.

Upon coming into contact with the tall structure, the two began screaming their hearts out as small red markings clawed their way their bodies, seemingly eating and licking at their skins sickeningly. Higure's gaze didn't linger on the suffering and spasming ANBU as he charged the larger group, his armour jingling a clanking tone in tune with his high-speed movement. He met the first wave of masked opponents as the others held back, he lashed out with a slash which the man blocked, pushing the ANBU back he swivelled out of the way as a slash from above, and retorted with a high kick man's face which had the desired effect of knocking the man unconscious.

The redhead dodged under another horizontal slash before slapping an explosive tag to the man's back and jumping away just as the seal went off, exploding in large globs of blood and body parts. The redhead was working on autopilot while being surrounded by a cluster of opponents, his sword was moving at blinding speed as he slashed and skewered opponent after opponent, bodies falling around him like leaves in the season of fall. Large patches of blood covered the water covered ground, staining it a glistening red.

Seeing the fate of their comrades, more of the porcelain-masked individuals flew toward Higure, who dodged slash after slash and swipe after swipe. Ten more came barrelling toward him, and the redhead dodged and blocked all of their attacks. They stopped and surrounded the man in a circular ring and out of the corner of his eyes he caught two Kunai flying his way. Catching both of them by their ring with some impressive skill, he angularly threw them back in different directions almost as if not aiming for his targets. However the steely projectiles curved and the circle of ANBU surrounding Higure tensed…

**Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!**

The two Kunai plunged through the heads of the first two targets, and flew through them, before piercing through the next two as the kunai continued their curving-angle trajectory. The Kunai didn't stop, and flew straight through them, before curving slightly almost as if being controlled by strings and skewering three others through the head as well.

The entire circle of masked opponents surrounding Higure fell to the ground dramatically, the Kunai hit the last man and finally the two Kunai met the other in the middle, creating a 'clang' sound before they fell to the ground. The entirety of Danzo's ANBU and the man himself looked at the man with a perplexed expression at his skill to curve Kunai, but they didn't linger on their thoughts too long as they saw the man jump back and five more flew after him.

His opponents engaged him in another brief dance of Kenjutsu as he dodged and blocked their refined attacks. Seven more surrounded him and threw their Tanto at the redhead who disappeared and reappeared above their heads, a scroll in his hands. Swiping his blood on the scroll quickly, an enormous fireball warped itself out of the scroll, catching them by surprise as it burned them, their screams continuing on into space.

The redhead jumped back to distance himself from his opponents, his breathing was short and came out in quick short puffs. Over 80 more of Danzo's Root remained and he hadn't even used Ninjutsu yet because of the strain using such techniques would put on his reserves but he knew if he wanted to take care of them quickly he would have to wipe them out very fast. He was holding back in order to preserve Chakra for his battle with Danzo but he was fighting very skilled Ninja and it was very hard to fight not using his full power. His old age and weary body which hadn't seen battle for very long would get to him very soon and he had to end this battle as soon as possible. He looked toward the barrier and could see Hotaru remarkably still alive and perched on Naruto's lap who was rocking her body comfortingly, his form still shaking and quivering and his eyes glowing with tears.

The man couldn't help but look away at the painful and heart-wrenching familiarity of the scene. He knew how painful it was to see someone you loved like that, Hotaru was young but she had been like a sister to the young blond. She berated, made fun of and mothered Naruto, qualities of a true elder sibling and most importantly she cared, she had come to care for the blond deeply in the months he had been with them. He knew that seeing Hotaru like that would break the blond and he didn't wish to see what would happen when she finally gave in.

Closing his head and drawing in a long breath he decided it was now or never, consequences be damned. Running through more handseals and ending on the snake handseal, all those around him tensed expectantly.

Tthe redhead was now bringing Ninjutsu into the battle.

"Suiton: Hankou no Shinzen'na Junjo" as soon as he finished his speech, chakra flared violently out of and around the man, blinding those around him. Out of curiosity Danzo channelled chakra to his Sharingan because truth be told he was becoming worried now. He knew that he couldn't afford to underestimate Higure despite his withered skills. What the man saw fascinated him, the redhead was channelling a large influx of superheated Suiton Chakra into the air.

The chakra coalesced in the air and steam could be seen gathering rapidly and suddenly black clouds began swirling above the area.

'_He is channelling and overheating his Suiton Chakra with Katon Chakra and turning the vapour into…clouds?' _

Higure felt his Chakra continuously being sapped and small sweat lined his brows. Cutting off the Chakra supply once it was enough, he breathed out as the skies blackened and a thick veil of black covered the sky. He instinctively snapped his head back just in time to dodge a punch to his head; catching the wrist of his opponent before retaliating with a harsh elbow to the man's neck and a kick which sent the man flying high into the air, he weaved through a chain of complicated Handseals and the entire Root members' eyes widened when an enormous distance spanning water wave descended toward them, crackling with lightning and glowing dangerously.

Those fast enough jumped out-of-the-way of the electrified wave of water but fifteen got caught and were pounded down by the force of the water harshly, their wet state drawing in the electricity into their system and resulting in them being scorched harshly.

Higure caught movement out of the corner of his eye and caught the man's wrist as they brought a Tanto down to cleaver him, slapping a paralysis seal on their form and not long after the man stood paralysed. The redheaded didn't wait for him and simply roughly sent a harsh kick to the man's face which knocked the air out of him and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He clasped his hands, and those who could see Chakra could see the man channelling Chakra into the ground below, before he charged for the others, and the ground underneath him cracked forming a winding trench before an enormous pillar of water exploded from underneath the earth and spread over the ground, forming into a wide body of water.

'_He is now using Doton to lighten the ground and summon up large amounts of water from under the ground; he hopes to flood the area. Heh, he truly is incredible' _Danzo thought mid-jump as he gazed at the former Uzumaki clan head.

Seeing the large amount of water surrounding them, Danzo's root decided to take advantage of it and channelled Raiton chakra into the water, making the charging Higure smirk as he jumped into the air and weaved through more handseals and the flood of water lifted like a veil or mat and now towered over the ANBU members, "Suiton: Mizuberu no Jutsu".

Like a mat, the large body of water lifted and furled into itself, taking with it twenty of the Root ANBU who were sucked into the large circular vortex of water.

Terrible screams permeated the Air as the poor ANBU never stood a chance and they helplessly drowned under the pool of water. Higure fell to his knees, his hand clutching his heart as he struggled to breathe from exertion. It appeared that using two S-rank Jutsu had taken a lot out of him than had been intended, and only 45 of Danzo's Root remained and he was now feeling the effects of not training in very long.

Another wave of Root ANBU charged his way carelessly and the redhead clasped his hands together, and water exploded around him, swirling violently and causing winds to whip about in the battlefield, "Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu" a large torrent of water gathered around the man, before forming into a very large circular whip of water which exploded outward and pounded into eight more of the unfortunate masked targets, crushing them beneath the strong force of the water torrent.

Sweat poured down the redhead's face in large rivulets, he still had one last option left that could end the battle in one swipe but he was saving that for the Commander himself, and at this the redhead looked up into the sky where the black clouds were still gathering…

* * *

**(Meanwhile; Inside the Barrier) **

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hotaru rasped out haggardly breathing from a difficulty to breath.

"Hotaru-chan, I'm right here. Don't worry, we will save you" the blond said through welling tears, keeping his eyes closed shut to stem the flood of tears in them. He propped the brunette's head on his lap rocking her bloodied form back and forth in a re-assuring embrace.

The girl merely sobbed softly, still coming to terms with the looming ominous fate she was bound to "I-i know…but I'm…s-sorry, it'll be alright…e-even if I die"

"No! d-don't say t-that, we'll save you and we'll be a family again, you, me and Jiji, please d-don't go…" the blond shook his head, his lips quivering greatly as he struggled to hold back the tears.

She smiled lightly, poking him weakly on the cheek with a finger "S-silly b-b-boy, y-you don't…have to cry, be a tough guy o-one last time…f-for me ok-kay" her voice became more haggard, her sentences breaking at evey turn making Naruto painfully aware of what was happening but yet he forced himself and his tearing heart to remain optimistic.

He only, if only to appease her than anything else and wiped away his tears "T-there...m-much b-better..." she smiled warmly at him before her form slackened in his hold.

Naruto felt looked back at at the girl with his own quivering smile but saw that she was now unmoving and her eyes were closed and then reality came crashing down on him. He felt his heart stop breathing and he could almost count the heartbeats his heart had produced to a minimum of five per minute. His body became cold once again terror clawed itself into his heart and mind and he began shaking the girl's form.

"C-come o-on Hotaru-chan, st-stop messing a-around" he gave her another soft shake and the girl didn't respond.

"H-hey come on, wake up Hotaru-chan, it's me Naruto, y-your annoying l-little b-b-brother" as he shook the girl once more and still got no response, Naruto became painfully aware of what had happened but he refused to accept it, he couldn't…

His heart hurt just as, if not much greater than the time when he had been abused and ignored entirely in Konoha for today Naruto Uzumaki was experiencing the pain of losing someone...

"H-Hotaru-chan…" he was now shaking her violently, her body shaking lifelessly without any resistance to how hard he was shaking at her shoulders. With every unresponsive shake, tears grew once more in the corners of his rippled eyes.

"H-o-taru…" One last shake of the shoulder and tears flowed out of the blonde's eyes freely.

"HOTARUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU" The blond bellowed out as he clutched the girl's figure close to his, and then an empty feeling racked his heart. "I-I'm s-so s-sorry, I wasn't strong e-enough" the blond said with an aching heart, the girl's blood was all over his black clothing and features but he didn't appear to mind the state his clothing was in.

He couldn't believe it, Hotaru was gone. So unfairly and prematurely stripped off of her life by the monsters before him, she had been like a sister to him and dare he say he loved her. She cooked for him, she bore with him despite his terrible table tendencies and manners, she taught him a lot about socialising, the world and medicine. But now she had been taken away from him, his first real family was crumbling apart and it was all because of Danzo. The man who made his life hell and showed him true hell. He felt rage well up inside him like an over-flooded dam, almost begging him to let loose its terrible might and threatening to erupt and burn all that stood before him, it was a feeling he knew normally comes with his tenant's chakra.

He choked out one last sob, and then he felt a stingingly burning sensation travel to his eyes, the same as that night in Konoha. His eyes burned and the rings in his eyes glowed as an influx of Chakra flooded his eyes and stayed there. He felt his strength returning rapidly to him and his body hardening, his mind willing him and telling him there was nothing he couldn't possibly do…he wanted revenge and this time he would reap it out brutally.

_**'Kill them' **_a deeper childlike voice whispered.

Naruto absently nodded…

_**'Reap their innards to pieces for taking her away from us' **_the voice whispered out in the corners of the blonde's mind.

He clenched his fist as power surged within him and his chakra spiked…

_**'Tear their puny bodies' limb from limb' **_it whispered yet again this time doing so much more savagely.

He nodded yet again absently, listening to the sweet whispers of vengeance which he didn't care whether they were real or not…

_**'Bathe in their blood and condemn their souls to hell'**_

….Because he wanted revenge as well.

_**'KILL THEM ALL'**_with that loud scream a red Chakra exploded out of Naruto in the form of four tails, yet he retained his human features, only his canines and whiskers thickened and his purple eyes glowing a crimson red, and spotting a slit for a pupil.

Naruto sat Hotaru's prone body gently on the ground. He stood up, straightening himself yet no bothering to wipe away the tears from his bloodshot rippled eyes. With clenched fists, the dark red aura still emanating from him as it swirled violently around him in the form of the four chakra tails, the tails disappeared into his system as his will subdued that of his Bijuu's hatred filled chakra and his eyes returned to normal. He moved toward the barrier encompassing him.

"Gakidou" he muttered emotionlessly, his hands moving forward animatedly and planting themselves on the surface of the purple chakra structure in fully outstretched palms.

Slowly, like a light that was being sucked out, the purple Chakra structure twisted and warped into Naruto's palms almost as if under the pull of intense gravitational of a black hole. The tall structure flickered hologramically and the entirety of the Chakra structure seemingly faded hopelessly into the blonde's palm and soon enough the enormous structure had all been absorbed into Naruto's palms.

**(Back at the Battle)**

Higure was panting harshly, he looked on as five of his thirty five remaining opponents, he dodged their attacks as best he could, lashing out with a kick or punch whenever an opportunity arose. He caught a kick to his torso, before spinning out of the way and using the man as a shield to block a thrust from a Tanto which impaled the man, spluttering blood to the ground. The man's comrade didn't even seem deterred by his death and simply pursued the redhead who dodged under another slash, and countered with a low-kick that took the man's legs from under him and just as he hit the ground, Higure had already buried a Kunai in his skull. He dodged more swipes from the other three and just as he went to attack, everyone froze as a vile energy exploded from behind them and breathing suddenly became a chore to those not used to this kind of power and murderous intent.

Inside the barrier, pillars of red Chakra rose into the air and Higure looked back at Naruto through heavy-lidded eyes, and shock lined the features of those in the battlefield as the blond stood in the centre of the barrier with four tails of red malevolent Chakra swaying behind him before disappearing into him completely. His hair was covering his face as he had his head facing the ground, his gaze on the form of a motionless Hotaru. The shock didn't end there however as the blond planted his palms on the surface of the large purple structure and warped it out of existence and in that moment Higure knew things had just gotten more complicated. His shock of see the blond out of the barrier hadn't died down yet. He had specifically used a barrier of that magnitude to not only keep him out of the fight but protect him from any of the fighting and to prevent him from getting caught in the crossfire, but here he was, out and looking…he didn't know how to describe it but the best he could come up with was dead and cold.

Suspense reigned as across the battlefield all eyes were transfixed on Naruto as he took soft pattering steps, his presence muting and halting all that had been happening like a child that had walked in on a fight between their parent.

Even Danzo and his foundation were eyeing the blond wearily. His face was blank, stone-cold emotionless and unreadable, even to his sensei. Soon the blond stopped near Higure, his black sandal-clad feet landing near his face, making the man who was on his knees, strain his neck in order to have a look at his student and fellow clansmen. The blonde's long black baggy-sleeved shirt was untucked and was fluttering in the wind, and he was still clad in the same black ANBU pants Higure had given him for his training, they were Uzumaki clan attire or wear and they added a regal appearance to the blond which would've further been augmented by the blue samurai-esque armour which he wasn't wearing.

Naruto simply stared blankly ahead as two porcelain-masked enemies charged toward him. He remained unmoving, but barely a few seconds later he disappeared completely and appeared in front of the two in the middle of the scorched and wet field, catching both of them with surprisingly firm grips on their necks and halting their speedy trajectory. His small, but absurdly strong hands lifting them up much to the concealed horror and shock of Danzo and his other men, before he crushed them into the ground with a brutal sickening crunch, prompting blood and debris to fly or lift up from the impact. Two sizable craters being created from where the bodies had impacted the earth and their bodies had dug into the earth in human-sized holes.

The blond stood up, his blank tear-streaked face giving away little to no emotion toward what he had just done. His gaze was on Danzo and the man stared right back, but flinched involuntarily as he met the cold purple Rinnegan eyes of Naruto, his furrowed brows showed he was obviously unsettled by this brief display of terrifying power from the young Kyubi's vessel and he indeed had to be.

The blond took a step forward and all his enemies tensed in preparation and then he disappeared...

* * *

***Translations***

**Tsukai no Uzumaki- Tamer of Whirlpools**

**Juinjutsu- Cursed Seal- Technique**

**Juinjutsu- Ne Chuuki no Juinjutsu: Cursed Seal technique: Root Paralysis Cursed Seal (Couldn't find a Japanese name for this one on Narutopedia and I didn't feel like skimming through the manga looking for it either, so went and made up my own, if it's wrong correct me please, I suck at coming up with names)**

**Shinobi no Yami- The darkness of the Shinobi**

**Gakidou- Preta path/Ghost realm (Another path for Naruto awakened) **

**Kodai Shitai no Shoujinheki- Ancient Style Barrier Encampment**

**Suiton: Hankou no Shinzen'na Junjo- Water Release: Defiance of the Natural order**

**Suiton: Mizuberu no Jutsu- Water Release: Water Veil Technique**

**Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu- Water Release: Water Bullet Technique**

**Magomusuko: Grandson**

* * *

**Well, there it is.**

**Immortal signing out...**


	9. Another note

Hey, this is The Disturbed immortal

It has come to my attention that i often leave grammatical errors (No spell mistakes at least) in the way i write out my stories and so I would like to request the help of a beta reader for my story 'The one who saw hell'...English isn't my first language (Haha yeah *ahem moving on*) and i'm kinda an instinctive person, i write in the way i believe is correct without following any grammatical pattern and thus there are 'subtle' mistakes in the way i present my stories.

I know i don't totally suck (modesty) and i know i can improve but for now i will man up and ask for help, so any of you who know of any good beta's you can recommend or if you are one yourself (I have seen the beta list and trust me it is agonizingly long and I'd rather do this than have to ask individually to beta's who might not even accept (*Cough* We have some arrogant ones out there).

For any one of you who want to, i would appreciate it if you could beta this poor bum's work "Pwwetty pwwease" '**Puppy eye no jutsu' in work.**

Friend shakes him with a sweatdrop "Erm Dude what are ya doin'?"

"N-nothing!" So please if you are interested PM or something 'ridiculously' important like that.

English is no fucking easy language to write down believe me (So let's all be happy we are all able to write Hellooo).

On the real though, please i need the assistance, i terribly do and i most humbly ask for it.

Requirements: Good at English, knowledgeable in both grammar and vocabulary, etc.

-TDI


End file.
